Council may revisit whether Municipal Building can be used for hotel

Source: The Wisconsin State JournalAug.mini storage 03--A proposal before the Madison City Council promises to revive debate over the future of the landmark Madison Municipal Building, with the outcome determining who will spend tens of millions to refurbish the aging architectural gem and how it will be used.On July 16, the City Council narrowly decided the building wouldn't be used for a hotel in a major redevelopment near Capitol Square and that it would be used primarily as city offices.On that night, the council also unanimously invited two high-powered development teams vying to join the city in the massive, mixed-use project to make more detailed proposals for the future of two prime blocks involved, which now host the Municipal Building and Government East Parking Garage.Two groups -- Hammes Co. and Majestic Realty Co. and an alliance of Journeyman Group, Gialamas Co., Marcus Hotels and Resorts and LZ Ventures -- are competing to join the city in the project, called Judge Doyle Square.In its initial conceptual proposal, Hammes/Majestic Realty envisioned a $210 million to$250 million project with the Municipal Building as a key part of a city-required hotel to serve Monona Terrace but also said it could proceed if it couldn't incorporate the landmark.The Journeyman team's initial$188 million concept did not use the Municipal Building.Now, Ald. Mark Clear, 19th District, wants the council to reconsider and let the developers offer plans using the Municipal Building -- though there may be a procedural challenge to his proposal.Clear strongly believes the city shouldn't preclude options that could benefit Monona Terrace and Downtown."The idea is basically a do-over," Clear said. "I think some of my colleagues didn't appreciate what a big deal this is and how important it is for Downtown and the potential of the building."Centerpiece of designThe city, in its initial request for developer qualifications and preliminary concepts earlier this year, said it preferred keeping the Municipal Building for city offices but would entertain a dynamic proposal to use it as part of the redevelopment.Hammes President Robert Dunn, who is currently redeveloping the historic Edgewater hotel on Lake Mendota, said Friday the Municipal Building would be the centerpiece for a unique, destination-caliber project.Journeyman project manager Harley Blackburn was unavailable for comment.In its initial concept, Hammes/Majestic shows the Municipal Building ground level including a grand lobby, retail and dining, a rooftop terrace and the upper level converted to unique hotel rooms with Judge Doyle's grand courtroom on the building's second floor preserved.The Municipal Building would serve as the front door of Judge Doyle Square and create a strong pedestrian connection to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Monona Terrace, Dunn said.If the Municipal Building is excluded, it becomes "a very different development," Dunn said. "Let's take the time to really look at this. It's too important an opportunity for our Downtoself storagen."Dunn said his team is looking at alternatives but couldn't say if it would proceed if the Municipal Building is unavailable.City use has benefits, costsMayor Paul Soglin and Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who represents the core Downtown, said there are many reason to keep the building primarily for city use.The mayor said a renovated Municipal Building would work nicely for city offices and moving offices to another location would be expensive, both for the cost of new construction and work time lost as city employees travel farther between the City-County Building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and new offices elsewhere.Verveer said allowing options could cause unnecessary, costly delays on the project.Former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz strongly believes the city should keep all options open.In his blog, Cieslewicz said the city could spend a huge sum to fix the Municipal Building and that it still wouldn't be optimal for office use. As part of a hotel, the city could demand restoration and public access that would give more people a chance to enjoy the landmark while developing new, fully accessible easy-to-locate office space elsewhere, he wrote.The Municipal Building, built between 1927 and 1929 in the neo-classical revival style, was initially used as a federal courthouse and post office. It was converted to city use in 1979.The aging building has maintenance challenges and was not designed for its current purpose. The Planning Division is jammed in the basement, and meeting space is not ideal.Rough, preliminary estimates suggest it will cost about $23 million or more to fix and renovate the building for continued use as city offices, city facilities and sustainability manager Jeanne Hoffman said. New construction might be a bit less, but no formal study has been done, she said.A recent study of agency needs shows the Municipal Building with slightly less interior space than the 76,500 square feet needed by agencies, Hoffman said.Procedural hurdles remainClear's proposal may require some procedural gymnastics.Clear made a motion two weeks ago to keep options open, but it failed 9-10 with 11 votes needed. But he's confident that decision can be reversed. He said one council member who voted against his previous motion will now support it and that Ald. Larry Palm, 12th District, who was out of the council chambers last time, would also do so.The other complication is that the council can't reconsider an action that's been partially carried out. The city has already issued its request for proposals to the two development teams, but Clear will argue the action was recent and that the city amends such requests all the time.Soglin would make an initial determination on reconsideration, but an appeal of his decision could be made to the full council."We'll see what happens," Soglin said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) Visit The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) at .wisconsinstatejournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉