Downtown residents and community members met at a neighborhood meeting Thursday to discuss two proposed student-oriented apartment buildings on North Bassett Street and North Frances Street.
Developer Scott Faust has proposed demolishing two existing houses at 313 and 315 N. Frances St. to make way for a 12-story student-oriented apartment complex.
The building would include 42 apartments, 91 underground bike stalls and commercial space on the first floor for either a restaurant, bank or retail business.
Faust said the slenderness and height of the proposed building make it unique to the area.
“To me, it’s going to be a landmark,” Faust said.
But the unique design could lead to disagreements among city officials in the development approval process due to the number of moped stalls and the lack of windows on the side of the building that overlooks University Avenue, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
Faust will present his proposal for the North Frances Street project to the Urban Design Commission at its next meeting Wednesday. He said he expects the project to be completed in July or August 2013 after it gains approval from the Plan Commission and Common Council.
Faust’s second plan includes a proposal to demolish four existing buildings at 202-222 N. Bassett St. and 510-520 W. Dayton St. to build a five-story, 71-unit apartment building geared toward students and young professionals.
“[Both proposals] are great additions to the student housing market downtown,” Verveer said.
A neighborhood steering committee will review the proposals and provide input to city officials before they go through the city’s development review process.
Wisconsin School of Business Senior Lecturer Tom Landgraf, who requires students in his Residential Real Estate Class to attend one city planning meeting during the semester, said he wants students to “get a flavor for what happens in a real life situation.”
UW-Madison fifth year student Kevin Anderson said it was helpful to not just read through a textbook on development planning but to experience the “real life vibe” of how city meetings and the development process works.
