A city planning staff member said Thursday he does not support renovations proposed by philanthropists W. Jerome Frautschi and his wife Pleasant Flowers that would demolish and redevelop six buildings located on the 100 block of State Street.
Madison Planning Department Staff Director Steve Cover wrote a three-page letter to developer George Austin dated Nov. 10 explaining his misgivings about demolishing two of Madison's historic landmarks. Cover also requested a more adaptive use of the buildings involved in the demolition.
"I think this is a big deal," Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. "This is a very high profile development."
Verveer said Cover's letter recommended that developers still do extensive renovation works on the buildings without the demolition that has been proposed, offering suggestions on ways to proceed.
"With any project of high visibility, there are hurdles," Austin told the Wisconsin State Journal. "This is just a part of moving forward."
