What you need to know about Judge Doyle Square Vote Tomorrow

Start reading and email your alder! Expect to wait and wait and wait and wait to speak if you plan on speaking. (just email the alders allalder@gmail.com)

Agenda for the meeting! 6:30 in Room 201 of the City-County Building (210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)

GET READING
They are constantly adding items to this list, I can’t keep up.
– Updated 9/22Report (13 pages) Includes MUST READ TIF analysis – which is all but the first 5 pages.
– Agreement we sign with JDS – (66 pages) – It covers development agreements, selling the property ($14M of propoerty for less than $2M), financing terms (if it goes belly up we’re screwed), TIF Guarantees, Land Use Approvals, Parking Structure Construction, Block 88 Office Building Construction, (Maybe) Hotel Construction, Block 105 (maybe) construction, how we get the property back if they don’t follow through on hotel, the parking lease, a long list of things that have to happen before the project starts, insurance, representations and warranties, what happens if they defaults, a bunch of legal mumbo jumble and standard legal requirements. Addenda are the Purchase Agreement, TIF increment schedule, the Development Schedule, Parking structure reimbursement schedule, the “Targeted Business Participation Plan”, the Parking Lease Term Sheet. (Somehow I missed the part on the Progject-Labor Agreement and Labor-Peace Agreement)
– (Not) Equity Analysis (4 pages)
– Monona Terrace Support (1 page)
– The actual resolution they will be voting on
– Letter from Landlords opposing the project (1 page)
– Fiscal Note – from 9/1 (may be outdated by now – 6 pages)
– Council Briefing Document from last Thursday and Friday (26 pages)

Bonus reading – not yet in legistar
JDS Traffic Impact Analysis dated 8.21 (89 pages – gee, wonder why this isn’t in legistar)

SUMMARY
Given the substantial increased development on blocks 88 and 105, there is a significant impact on the transportation system in the downtown core. This impact is manifest even with a 20% reduction in trips used to recognize the high transit, biking, and walking modes Madison enjoys in the downtown area. It should be noted that staffs’ experience is that as congestion increases, drivers become increasingly frustrated by delay and less likely to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks or share the road with bicyclists. We also find that as queues extend past upstream intersections, the chances
of gridlock increase, traffic extends over crosswalks, and pedestrians cross between vehicles blocking intersections which reduce a pedestrian’s ability to see and be seen.

There are several large traffic mitigation concepts that offer the potential to ameliorate traffic congestion associated with the JDS project. The Council may wish to have those options explored further for feasibility. The identified street modifications will help disperse traffic and contain congestion to locations where it is more manageable. Despite the region’s high use of alternate modes of transportation, the majority of trips produced by this development will be carried by the City’s surface arterial street system, including Park Street, John Nolen Drive, University Avenue, East and West Washington Avenues, Williamson Street, and the Johnson/Gorham corridor. Ultimately, it is the Council which has the difficult task of striking a balance between increased development and increased congestion and more frequent motorist-pedestrian/bicyclist interaction.

I’m guessing there are other documents that aren’t in legistar and people haven’t seen . . . sigh.

IF YOU GO TO THE MEETING
Here’s the process. don’t expect it to be “normal”

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From: “Demarb, Denise”
Date: September 25, 2015 at 4:49:58 PM CDT
To: All Alders
Subject: JDS 9/29

Colleagues,

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful autumn weekend, before we head into next week. Monday (BOE) and Tuesday (JDS) may be long nights.

I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know of process for Tuesday night’s meeting.

First, I wanted to let you know I have asked Lisa, to provide us with water, coffee (cream and sugar), fruit and energy bars, enough for us and staff.

The Mayor has informed me he will be late to the meeting, as he is coming from a meeting in Chicago and doesn’t feel he will make the 6:30 start.

Pro Tem Cheeks will be abstaining from voting and therefore will not be able to help me move the meeting forward nor will he be able to participate in the debate. I have asked Alders Schmidt and Bidar to fill in as appropriate.

This meeting is very important as we will make a big decision. Transparent government is very important to me, helping the public understand the project and help to inform their statement to us, without confusion or misinformation.

I have asked the negotiating team to present the presentation we were able to view over the last two days. This will happen in front of public comment.

At the beginning of the public comments, I will ask the developer to go first.

Of course, Alders will have the opportunity to ask questions of the team, the developer and anyone from the public.

After this is done, I am hopeful the Mayor will give a statement on the proposed development. When he is done, I will move to go into Committee of the Whole. This will allow a legislative debate.

When we are finished with our debate, we will close the Committee of the Whole and go back into session. At this time any amendments can be offered. (I anticipate the Mayor back in the Chair at this point.)

And then we vote.

Enjoy this lovely weekend, Scott and I will be in the North Woods.
See you Monday.
Denise

EMAIL YOUR ALDER
Don’t let the pile of reading deter you – let your alder know what you think. Is this a bigger priority than the public market or midtown police station? Should we wait to get the money for affordable housing that we could get next year or the following year if they closed the TID? Where is the equity in this project? Where will be park for the 17 months this is under construction? What happens if we never get the hotel (wasn’t that what this was all about in the first place?) Why do they get parking stalls for $15 a month and then get to rent them for $140/month? Why are we giving away valuable downtown property? Why are we giving them $12M for jobs that already exist and they already got money from the State for? The list of questions goes on and on and on and on. Tell your alders to stop the nonsense. Work with them to keep their business in Research Park.

My understanding is that the alders are hearing more opposition than support, lets keep that up. allalders@cityofmadison.com (make sure to tell them your address, so they know who’s constituent you are.)