Two new apartment projects discussed at a neighborhood meeting could provide students with more housing options in the Bassett neighborhood and also lower rents in the campus area by competing with existing landlords.
Wayne Dishaw presented the first proposed apartment building, which would replace the building that currently houses the Badger Pantry convenience store, 437 W. Gorham St., and the apartments behind it. The proposed twelve story building would have both residential and commercial space and would continue to be managed locally by Dishaw.
The second project discussed, a six story apartment building proposed by Great Dane Development, would not be owner-managed. Instead Great Dane plans to use Madison Property Management to care for the exclusively residential building.
Both developers hope to begin construction as soon as allowed by city planners.
\It's good for students, and bad for landlords,"" said Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, who hosted the event.
He said the competition would force negligent landlords to take better care of property and possibly even lower rent.
Although the possibility of lowering rents and creating more apartments aimed at undergrads appeals to students, the permanent renters and landowners are concerned about the visual and physical impacts of the new projects.
""When you tear a building down, you're losing a part of the character of the neighborhood; that's a loss,"" said Bill Patterson, a Capitol Neighborhoods group member and current renter in the Williamson Street Neighborhood.
The projects excite Zach Brandon, as the owner of Laundry 101 located at 437 W. Gilman St., but as a city council candidate he asked, ""How does it blend with the neighborhood?""
The sheer size of the buildings could block sunlight, funnel wind upon pedestrians and increase parking congestion, area residents said.
The five houses occupying the Great Dane property currently do not cause such macro-sized problems, but are considered a waste of space by the fifteen developers who bid on the property hoping to put in their own version of Great Dane's project. Since they are in such degraded condition, Verveer said he does not think the elimination of the houses would cause enough of a loss of character for him to oppose plans like Great Dane's.
""There's so much against preserving these houses,"" said Verveer, ""there's nothing special about these homes."" Verveer also acknowledged that the parking will always be an issue, and said that he continues to beg developers to put in as much parking in their plans as possible.
