Mayor Offers His Vision For Allied Drive
It Includes Buying 9 Apartment Buildings And Redeveloping Them With Condos

By Dean Mosiman
Wisconsin State Journal, March 21, 2006

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is offering a vision for troubled Allied Drive as he tries to get support for buying and redeveloping a series of worn buildings in the heart of the neighborhood.

The vision includes buying nine apartment buildings on Allied Drive and redeveloping them with condos and perhaps retail space, supporting "good landlords," and closely monitoring the fate of a row of buildings on Carling Drive -- a block off Allied Drive -- with the potential of another city purchase.

Neighborhood input is important and a planning process will be completed in July, Cieslewicz stressed. But "I'd like people to be clear on what it is I'd like to accomplish."

Cieslewicz and Ald. Ken Golden, 10th District, tonight will introduce a proposal that the city bid up to $5.8 million to buy 129 rental units in the nine buildings on Allied Drive -- 20 percent of rental housing on the street -- that were owned by Troy Hauk but fell into receivership earlier this year.

The properties, 2317 to 2409 Allied Drive will be auctioned off by Amcore Bank on April 18.

"This is the kind of investment we need to make," Cieslewicz said, noting that the neighborhood of 2,400 residents is consuming 25 percent of the police resources of the entire West Police District.

Alice Howard, president of the local neighborhood association, could not be reached for comment but has urged that the city buy the Hauk properties.

Golden could not be reached.

The City Council will decide in early April whether to bid on the properties. It will take 15 of 20 votes to amend the 2006 budget.

To win support, Cieslewicz on Monday sent a four-page memo to council members outlining his vision, which includes the following:

Complete Gary Gorman's 104-unit Avalon Village, the low-cost rental housing project rising on the former Supersaver site off Verona Road. It gives the city a chance to relocate people from the Hauk properties without pushing them out of the neighborhood.

Redevelop the Hauk properties with a new urbanist design, which would include changing the street configuration and building perhaps slightly taller structures with retail space on the first floor, units with living space and retail space, and condos. The city should try to replace rental housing, especially three-bedroom units.

Support landlords, such as providing federal housing assistance vouchers that would be attached to Project Home properties. The city could also provide other owners with tax incremental financing support (TIF) for weatherization, fixtures, landscaping and utilities.

Continue building code inspections, invest creatively in public safety and support a strong neighborhood association.

Monitor the condition of the series of buildings on Carling Drive, step up enforcement of drug abatement and nuisance violations and consider acquisition as an option.