Katie Cierzan’s flat on the 500 block of West Mifflin Street has been standing 110 years and shows its age with tall pillars and noisy radiators. Even though her house is in good condition, those surrounding it are slanted with crumbling foundations. But Cierzan has made her house and neighborhood her home—and she would like to keep it that way.
Scores of students live in two- and three-story houses in the six square blocks between West Dayton Street, North Broom Street, West Main Street and North Bedford Street. Many houses date back a century and have been rented by students for decades.
But on Wednesday, a City of Madison commission passed a proposal that would support replacing many houses on West Mifflin Street and West Washington Avenue with six- to eight-story high-rises.
It is one of several proposals that would drastically change the makeup of the neighborhood. Although most city officials and planners agree the area should be modernized, they are divided by how extensive changes should be.
An earlier proposal would replace some old houses with modern ones around West Dayton Street, North Broom Street and North Bedford Street, keeping the neighborhood mostly residential.
Both proposals were introduced as part of the city’s Downtown Plan, announced in November 2011. The city creates a Downtown Plan every 20 years to show what type of new neighborhood construction projects the city government would like to see developers propose.
City officials who will approve the Downtown Plan final draft do not dictate specific projects be undertaken, but rather, they recommend general urban planning proposals they see as beneficial for the city.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said city planners have an incentive to redevelop the area. Many of the properties are poorly insulated, expensive to maintain or falling apart, Resnick said, and the city does not have the resources to inspect each one.
“Many of the buildings on Mifflin St. have lived their entire life span,” Resnick said.
At the same time, many houses in the neighborhood are deeply intertwined with city and UW history. The modern-day Mifflin Street Block Party started in 1969 when students protested the Vietnam War, and the neighborhood came to represent the counter-culture associated with the party over time.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said because of the neighborhood’s historical significance city officials and planners are divided about the plan.
“There are some that … have no problem bulldozing the neighborhood … and constructing 12-story buildings throughout,” Verveer said. “There are others, like myself, that are more appreciative of the scale and character of the neighborhood and want to preserve the widest variety of student housing options downtown.”
While Verveer said he supports new development that would draw more residents to the area, he was cautious about changing the makeup of the neighborhood entirely. He admitted some houses are in particularly bad shape, but he said students need affordable housing options.
“Not all students can or are able to live in either dorms or high rise student apartments,” Verveer said.
And the cost difference between high rises and houses is substantial. Rent for a one-bedroom in a typical four-bedroom high-rise apartment costs upwards of $700 a month while one room in a five-bedroom flat on West Washington Avenue can often cost around $450.
But Resnick said there would still be affordable housing options available to students in the Mifflin neighborhood and other areas around campus.
What’s next for Mifflin
The proposals for redeveloping the neighborhood will move to the Plan Commission, which will choose one to be included in the Downtown Plan. Pending approval from the commission, the Downtown Plan will then go to the Common Council for a vote, likely in the next few months.
Cierzan is unsure about redeveloping the neighborhood.
“I understand that you need to make them safe to live in,” Cierzan said. “It would be kind of sad if they basically tore down most of the street. You can look back at pictures and it’s been the same for decades.”
And residents like Cierzan and her roommate Kristin Krueger ultimately have the greatest concern over the fate of place they call home.
“I don’t have an alternate proposal, but I wouldn’t be very pleased if I came back in ten years and it was all gone,” Cierzan said.
Krueger said she understands the rationale behind creating higher density housing but she is skeptical about high-rises replacing old houses like hers.
“Just keep Mifflin looking like Mifflin,” Krueger said.
City presents new Mifflin plan
City planners presented another proposal to redevelop the West Mifflin Street neighborhood at an Urban Design Commission meeting Wednesday.
The proposal would make Mifflin Street a “mixed-use” neighborhood, allowing both residential and commercial buildings.
The proposed plan allows for redevelopment on West Washington Avenue, with an opportunity to save some houses with historic character, according to City Urban Design Planner Rebecca Cnare.
“On Mifflin, it is a complete redevelopment option,” Cnare said. “It allows for six- to eight-story buildings, hopefully in a sensitive, contextual design.”
While the original plan included an “urban lane,” a pedestrian-friendly walkway between West Washington Avenue and Mifflin Street with sidewalks, trees and lighting, the commission decided to not include it in the plan.
The Plan Commission will vote on the city’s downtown plan, a comprehensive planning guide for Madison’s downtown neighborhood, before sending it to Common Council for final approval.
