Ground could break on a new inner-city bus depot on the corner of North Bedford Street and West Mifflin Street as early as next year, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said at a Bassett neighborhood meeting Monday.
The proposed bus depot is part of an ongoing city effort to improve the accessibility and connectivity of the South Capitol Planning District, which stretches from Bedford Street to Blair Street and includes the area between Wilson Street and Lake Monona, to the rest of the city.
Verveer said a private developer hopes to build a mixed-use facility in the area that would include apartments and commercial space, and it is very open to including a transit hub as part of the development.
The bus depot could potentially function as a train station if the city became passenger-rail accessible, according to Verveer.
Verveer said because there is a developer that is “ready, willing and able” to move forward, the proposed transit station could reach fruition much sooner than he originally anticipated.
But Verveer said whether the city could compel the Madison bus companies, including Badger Bus, Greyhound and Megabus, to use the bus depot remains “unsettled.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has expressed interest in leasing space in the development for some of its offices, according to Verveer, and it is likely the developer has the means to fund the project on its own.
But Verveer said it is too early in the planning process to determine whether or not the developer will seek public assistance for the transit station.
