A multiple-use apartment project rejected by the city in 2005 will get another chance to pass through the Urban Design Commission Wednesday.
Developer Erik Minton and architect David Ferch worked together to scale down the original structure and configure the design elements of the $7.4 million project.
The building, which was first proposed as a nine-story building, has been redeveloped into a smaller five-story project to be built at 425 W. Washington Ave. The building is planned to feature a second location for Capital Fitness and a new office for John Bonsett-Veal, an optometrist who has occupied a one-level building on the site for over 15 years.
The new project would allow the new Capital Fitness to include a swimming pool and for Bonsett-Veal to expand his practice and hire additional staff members.
The building proposed in 2005 met strong opposition from neighbors in the Bassett neighborhood and Madison city planners who believed a nine-story structure was out of character with the residential buildings on the block.
According to the Capital Times, city planner Bill Fruhling said the new design is more in line with the recommendations in the Bassett Neighborhood Plan and the city's long-range Comprehensive Plan. The designs call for stepping back"" the fifth floor to help reduce the size of the building.
The new apartment building would feature 42 rental apartments and 52 underground parking stalls if approved Wednesday. Rents would range from $650 to $1,300.
The developers hope to start the project in August and complete it by August 2010.
