City officials approved the first phase of a revised plan for the Wisconsin Union Redevelopment Project Monday, which included a smaller theater lounge than what was proposed in the former plan.
The revised project, presented to the Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee, evolved from a previous plan which proposed a glass-enclosed lounge that would extend 50 feet to the north of the theater. In the approved revised plan, the lounge will extend out from the building by approximately 25 feet.
UW students narrowly voted down the previous plan in an non-binding ASM election in October.
One concern among students who opposed the renovation was the size of the proposed theater, which they said could block the view of the Union Terrace and sunset.
Alan Fish, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Management, said there is a rooftop alternative above the lounge where “you can actually see the sun set over Picnic Point which you cannot from any other place on the Terrace.”
“After the referendum, I think it was clear that we needed to redesign the theater lounge,” Colin Plunkett, student manager for Memorial Union Reinvestment Project, said at a Nov. 8. forum. “It’s important for students to know that we value them and we heard what they have to say.”
There are extensive plans for the Memorial Union Theater and the adjacent shoreline.
Other aspects of the first phase focus on a remodel aimed at improving accessibility to the building for all visitors.
The plan calls for the construction of a direct entryway to the theater off of Langdon Street that would replace the multi-story hallways.
