Allie Johnson
The Madison Economic Development Committee met Wednesday, September 17 to discuss the location of a public market for the city.
Despite a final push by south-side alder John Strasser, members of the Economic Development Committee approved a resolution Wednesday night identifying East Washington Avenue and First Street as the top choice for a year-round public market for Madison. South Park Street and Madison's north side near the Northside TownCenter are cited as alternative options.
City officials emphasized, however, there are still a few factors to consider before an official site is chosen.
"The city can have a site preference," Dan Kennelly, an economic development specialist for the city, said. "But [the site] is not official until we look at the cost [and] whether we can even acquire the site."
Strasser told committee members at the meeting that it made little sense to support a location preference when the city and the consultants who had prepared the site recommendations had not yet factored in the cost of the different properties.
"You don't make the decision first, and then see if you can get the real estate package," he said.
Strasser asked the committee to amend the resolution and remove any preferences for the three proposed sites. He said the city real estate office should first examine the costs of obtaining all three locations to inform a final decision.
Committee member Julia Stone agreed with Strasser.
"I don't think it's wise to say what our preferred location is without having evaluated each of them," she said. "There is not enough data yet."
Kennelly clarified that the resolution does not direct the city to spend money and build on the East Washington Avenue site; it simply says the process of locating a market there can move forward.
"We are trying to not say we've fallen in love with one property and we need it," Kennelly said. "We're trying to say there is one property that looks better."
The amendment failed and the resolution ultimately passed, with just two of nine committee members voting against it. The resolution, which directs the city’s Office of Real Estate Services to begin talking to the property owners of all three locations to determine acquisition costs for each site, and calls for the consultant to develop a business plan for the market, now goes to the Common Council.
Earlier this year, the Madison Local Food Committee officially recommended the three potential sites to city officials, citing the east side location as the preferred option for a year-round public market district for local food and retail vendors, with the other two sites as viable alternatives.
The recommendation was based on a report from New York-based consultants, Project for Public Spaces. Kennelly said the consultants determined East Washington Avenue has a significantly higher visibility, greater ease of access for visitors and the opportunity for a wide range of uses.
A significant portion of the potential site is already under city ownership, making the property easier to acquire for the project, Kennelly added.
But community members, including the president of the Marquette Neighborhood Association on the city's east side, have urged that the south-side site be reconsidered since there are fewer options for fresh food and produce on that side of town.
Strasser shared his concerns with committee members in an email prior to Wednesday's meeting. He argued the data used by the consultants to support the east side location was "flawed." He also said the report neglected to address that the public market is intended to be a destination that would attract customers from all across the city. The location of the market should therefore be based on where access is greatest for most people, Strasser said.
Strasser noted that South Park Street, which is right off the Beltline, might be a more accessible location than East Washington Avenue.
"Where is the location in the city that the most people can get to the quickest and the easiest?" he asked at the meeting. "I'm not saying it's Park Street, but what I recommend is we send this back to the consultants and say this is the criteria you need to be evaluating."