Developer’s submission beats Madison City Council decision on landmark status | #citycouncil

The developer, Vermilion Development of Chicago, has submitted formal plans to demolish the historic two-story building for a scaled-back housing project with 331 housing units.

Because Vermilion’s submission beat a coming City Council decision on whether the Filene House should be a city landmark, Vermilion’s project will be considered under the regulations in effect now.

A future landmark designation on the Filene House would have no effect on the city’s land use review.

Vermilion has submitted plans to raze the Filene House for a five-building project with structures ranging from one to five stories that would provide 331 housing units and parking on an 8.2-acre site at 1601 and 1617 W. Sherman Ave.

The scale of the redevelopment is substantially reduced from Vermilion’s initial proposal in October for a $90 million, up to six-story project with 445 units and parking adjacent to the park and overlooking Lake Mendota.

“The project design reflects input shared by the community during four neighborhood meetings as well as input provided by city staff throughout the planning and design process,” Vermilion managing director Darrin Jolas said.

In late December, as the city and neighborhood were discussing Vermilion’s preliminary concepts, resident John Rolling submitted a 33-page landmark nomination for the Filene House, 1617 Sherman Ave. The building was the first permanent location of the Credit Union National Association and was dedicated by President Harry Truman in a speech that placed the credit union movement as a key component of the administration’s foreign policy.

The property is being nominated not for its connection to a renowned architect, design or construction, but for its connections to history. Its dedication by Truman on Sunday, May 14, 1950, made the front pages of local newspapers and The New York Times.

On Jan. 9, the city’s Landmarks Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council designate the Filene House as a landmark, which would not stop redevelopment but shape how it is undertaken. A city staff report has suggested the Filene House could be incorporated into a project. The City Council is scheduled to consider the landmarks designation on Feb. 7.

The city’s Comprehensive Plan recommends “medium residential” land use for the property, generally two- to five-story buildings with a density of 20 to 90 units per acre, as well as a street connection through the property between Sherman and Fordem avenues, city Planning Division Director Heather Stouder has said.

At the time of its initial proposal, Vermilion said the building had outlived its useful life and is not suitable for renovation to residential use, that the proposal responded to the city’s desire for more infill housing and redeveloping existing properties, and that the site was attractive because of its proximity to the lake, Tenney Park, bike paths and public transit.

But the proposal got a mixed reception from neighbors and city officials, and in December, Vermilion offered revised plans that included 405 units in three buildings, which again got a mixed response.

Vermilion has again revised plans in its formal submission, bringing the unit count down to 331 and spreading them among the five buildings.

“The project speaks to the recommendations in both the Comprehensive Plan and the Eken Park Neighborhood Plan and will help address Madison’s ongoing housing shortage,” Jolas said.

The most prominent building fronting Sherman Avenue would range from one to five stories, with 184 apartments, and features walk-up units. The second five-story, multifamily building with 127 apartments would front a new street running through the property.

Both include green roofs with indoor/outdoor lounge space for residents. Three two-story townhomes with a total of 20 units feature private garages.

The project would include 364 enclosed and 36 surface parking spaces. The project will dedicate 1.53 acres for the road and two detention basins.

The existing building, now leased by My Choice Wisconsin, was analyzed for historic significance and reuse and deemed incompatible with residential development on the basis of architectural significance, column placement and structural systems, mechanical systems, improper entrance and site drainage issues, Vermilion’s letter of intent says.

According to Rolling’s landmark nomination, Edward A. Filene, a social reformer and prime mover to establish CUNA’s headquarters in Madison, was the most important figure in the early years of American credit union history.

The Urban Design Commission is scheduled to consider the proposal on March 1; the Plan Commission will consider the demolition, rezoning, conditional use and land division on March 13. The City Council will consider rezoning and land division on March 21.