1000 FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN LANDSCAPES Volume 11, Number 2 Summer 2007 1935 Trolley Line m Rayovac Factory Now Union Corners Creating a new neighborhood on Madison’s East Side Future Infill Development A Sensible Alternative to Sprawl 1000 Friends of Wisconsin 2 The Director’s Desk 1000 Friends of Wisconsin When most people think about the cause of In this issue of Landscapes we celebrate the Created to protect and enhance global warming, images of smokestacks coming development of those traditional neighborhoods. Wisconsin’s rural and urban from coal fired power plants are among the first On Madison’s near east side, Union Corners is landscapes by providing citizens thoughts. Our insatiable appetite for electricity a mixed use development that will place up to with the inspiration, information is one of the biggest contributors to our global 450 new residences in less than 15 acres. This and tools they need to effectively warming problem. neighborhood will reduce pressure on greenfields participate in the decisions that have in the Madison area and help new residents the greatest impact on community However, too many of us overlook the role drive less. Midvale Plaza on Madison’s near west health. of land use and transportation policies in the side is another example of high quality, compact climate change discussion. Emissions from cars, development. There, a run-down strip mall and trucks, buses and airplanes combine to make up an overcrowded library will give way to a mixed Board of Directors the largest – and fastest growing segment of the use development that will include a new, expanded Steve Born, Madison - President sources of global warming in the U.S. home for the library. Margaret Burlingham, Palmyra Walter John Chilsen, Wausau We are addicted to driving and, unfortunately, Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley redevelopment David Cieslewicz, Madison a little concern like global warming doesn’t is the largest infill project in the state. In the Sheila Cohen, Madison seem to motivate enough people to look at 1950’s, the Menomonee Valley was home to more Emily Earley, Madison ways to curtail their driving habits. Last year, than 50,000 jobs that were within walking distance Kristine Euclide, Madison Wisconsinites drove a total of 60 billion miles! of thousands of homes for workers. When the Patrick D. Gallagher, Milwaukee That’s almost 2 and half million times around post-war prosperity boom ushered in the age Steve Hiniker, Madison the earth. Given what that driving is doing to of the interstate highway, those jobs left and the Tom Lyon, Cambridge our state and what highways are doing to our Menomonee Valley turned into a largely vacant Glenn Reynolds, Primrose countryside – we need to figure out a way to brownfield. Kine Torinus, West Bend drive less. Kim Verhein, Oconomowoc Today, thanks to the efforts of local activists Jean Wells, Madison Driving less is much easier than it sounds, determined to improve the area, the Menomonee Meagan Yost, Poynette especially if we make it a priority. (See Ward Valley is once again home to thousands of jobs Telle Zoller, Poynette Lyles article on page 7). Driving less became within walking distance of more than enough a priority for many in the state in 2006 when homes for workers. The prospects are bright once gasoline prices crept over $3 a gallon. 2006 again for Menomonee Valley. Staff was the first year in decades that Wisconsinites Steve Hiniker, Executive Director actually drove fewer miles than the year before. The rebirth of urban areas is good news for Barb Irvin, Finance Director With gas prices currently higher than they were the environment. More jobs and homes close to Ward Lyles, Transportation Policy Director a year ago, those price signals may drive even urban centers relieve pressure on farmland and Lisa MacKinnon, Policy Director more people to drive less. natural areas and reduce the need for residents to Deborah Nemeth, Development Director drive. That, in turn, helps us reduce greenhouse Kevin Pomeroy, Planning Director Still, we need to do even better. The design gas emissions. and location of new developments can provide convenient alternatives if we want people to Reinvestment in our urban areas reduces drive less. pressures on the natural areas that are so important to all of us. By developing new neighborhoods of houses that are closer together we can make it easier Our website has daily updates: to drive less. Compact development patterns www.1kfriends.org make transit feasible. They also make it possible Steve Hiniker for local stores to exist within walking distance of houses. They help us restore something that we nearly lost: real neighborhoods where most of what we need can be found within walking Photos on cover and pages 3 & 4 courtesy of distance of our front door. McGrath Associates 3 Summer 2007 A great example of infill development Steve Hiniker Ninety years ago, when Madison was smaller than present day Fitchburg, Getting from the design board to actual construction in the midst of a civically the French Battery Company (later to become Rayovac) was built on the active neighborhood took tremendous effort. Fortunately, the developer city’s eastern edge. Even though it was only about 2 and half miles from the of the project, McGrath Associates, is a veteran of infill development with city center, a streetcar line was integral in getting workers living downtown pioneering projects dating to the late 1970’s. Neighborhood engagement to the facility at eastern reach of town was (and is) the rule. Although no new development will meet the needs and expectations of all neighbors, the developer’s efforts to build a project Madison’s population has grown by almost 200,000 and the city itself that will fit into an existing neighborhood draws praise from the area’s covers an area ten times larger than it did in 1910. Rayovac has since residents. Union Corners is still little more than a cleared 15-acre plot in the moved its headquarters to Atlanta and the streetcars have been replaced by midst of neighborhoods that date back to the turn of the 20th century. As the thousands of cars – more than 55,000 vehicles pass by the former battery buildings rise, the true test of the acceptance of the work will take place. company daily. 1000 Friends recognized the benefits of this project and the developer’s The former Rayovac site, now known as Union Corners, left a vast brownfield attention to neighborhood needs by awarding the McGrath Union Corners in the midst of a booming city. The site offered a rare opportunity for a development one of its “Ten of the Best” in 2006 at our 10th Anniversary forward looking developer to develop the former manufacturing facility celebration. into a mixed used development that meets the needs of a twenty first century Madison. The stories on the following page are written by those who are affected most: the project’s next door neighbors. They are local activists who invest their Today, Union Corners is one of the largest redevelopment sites in the history time freely toward making Madison’s east side neighborhoods some of the of Madison. The project, which is in the early stages of development, will strongest and most desirable neighborhoods in the area. include a mix of residential, retail, and commercial space. The development concept plans for 450 dwelling units, consisting of both condominium and rental housing choices; and up to 110,000 square feet of retail and office Transportation space for lease. • Roundabout The sprawl-beating aspects of this development are tremendous. 450 • Ped /Bike residential units on 15 acres of land yields a housing density of 30 units per • Transit acre. Given that the new housing density in southern Wisconsin averages about one unit per 1.5 acres, Union Corners provide the same amount of • Parking housing that would otherwise take more than one square mile of land. This translates into one square mile of farmland and natural areas that would have been built for new Dane County residents. Public Open Space • 1 - Union Green 1 • 2 - French Battery Park 3 2 • 3 - Main Street • Green Roofs Site Plan 2 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Union Corners What Went Right: According to the Neighbors Dan Melton, Peter Berryman, John Steines & Vicky Selkowe an Melton: Union Corners is a large Recyclingicky Selkowe: The number of neighborhood D urban infill project that ended up Vmeetings that Todd McGrath and his crew having 1,001 moving parts. In the fall attended, either coming to our regularly- of 2003, when developer Todd McGrath • Demolitionscheduled neighborhood Plan included association meetings, began talking to neighbors, some feared anor extensive presenting recyclingat specially-called meetings a project of this size wouldn’t get off the effortabout the project, was really quite amazing. ground, that neighborhood fears would Not to mention the tours he did of the site for stop it. That didn’t happen. Why? Many • Steel,neighborhood concrete, association asphalt members and others. reasons. One, time. Lots and lots of time. andI’ve bricktalked wereto friends sorted in other for neighborhoods Two, a developer with the self-confidence recyclingwho feel likeand they reuse never see developers until and patience to actually listen. Three, a • 87%something’s of the updemolished for a final vote and who feel like seasoned alder who knew how to apply materialsplans are sprung were on salvaged them. McGrath’s willingness a firm hand to the wheel when needed. to come talk with neighbors, to answer questions, Four, neighbors who weren’t afraid to & tokept show out the updatedof landfills versions of plans, his overall say, “You know, I think, on balance, this accessibility, made a big difference.