A $10 million plan to redevelop a block of State Street could be dead after months of debate over the fate of numerous historical buildings involved in the project.
Representatives of W. Jerome Frautschi and Pleasant Rowland’s Block 100 Foundation asked the city to remove the proposal from the agenda of an upcoming Landmarks Commission meeting Thursday, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
This removal from the agenda gives Frautschi and Rowland time to decide whether or not to continue pursuing their project, which they have threatened to abandon in the past.
The proposal calls for the redevelopment of six properties bordered by State, North Fairchild and West Mifflin streets into a mixed-use office and retail space that features an open garden.
One of two certified historic landmarks in the proposal would be completely demolished under the plan—a point of contention for the city bodies required to review it.
“This could be good news in that [Frautschi and Roland] would like additional time for further modifications to their proposal,” said Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, of the withdrawal. “Rather than facing pretty much certain unanimous rejection of their request [to demolish the landmarked building by the Landmarks Commission] it sounds like to me that they are taking the wise step to think of some alternatives.”
Walking away from the project would entail dividing up and selling the six buildings included in its designs for State Street, a measure the foundation has hinted at carrying out if its designs continued to meet opposition from the requisite city committees.
“If they’re close to pulling the plug on their plans, I think that would be a big loss and quite unfortunate,” Verveer said. “I hope that they’re going back to the drawing board and requesting additional time to consider modifications to their approach. I just don’t know and it sounds like perhaps they don’t know either.”
