After hours of public testimonies, the Plan Commission voted 4-3 late Monday to favorably recommend the development of a high-rise apartment building on the UW-Madison campus to the Common Council.
The plan calls for the development of a 90-unit apartment building on land owned by the St. Francis' House, a campus ministry on University Avenue near Grainger Hall.
""This is the direction the campus should be taking,"" Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said, pointing out that the influx of new housing will help drive down neighborhood housing prices for students and other potential residents.
The plan is the latest incarnation of many divisive efforts to develop the site that have pitted St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, which runs the campus ministry, against neighboring Luther Memorial Church.
For the many members of the public affiliated with St. Andrew and the St. Francis House, the apartment development is the key to the ministry's survival.
""It's hard to [financially maintain] the ministry, and this is a way to do that,"" Mary Hastings, St. Andrew's senior warden, said, pointing to the revenue that the potential eight-story complex could bring in.
Luther Memorial's opposition to the project is also multifaceted, consisting not only of issues of noise, maintenance and safety, but also worries about their religious community.
Former Lutheran Bishop Jon Enslin said people are afraid the new development will cause problems that will complicate church operations.
""They fear for their own congregations future,"" he said.
In the end, a majority of the Plan Commission maintained that the issue came down to the interests of the larger neighborhood.
""At the end of the day, arguments about who likes their church the most or how important the ministry are really isn't the issue here…it's really about standards and how we manage conflicts with land use,"" Eric Sundquist, a Madison resident and Plan Commission member said before voicing his approval for the plan.
The committee's recommendation will be presented to the Common Council during their meeting Tuesday.
