Seven27
Just a few decades ago, the neighborhood near Brittingham Park had a much different vibe.
Before the rise of the new, ultramodern apartment complexes, the careful streetscaping and manicured green spaces, the Bassett Neighborhood was dominated by commercial and industrial sites. Aging, single-family homes and student rental houses abutted warehouses and railroad depots, and criminal activity like open-air drug dealing and prostitution was common on West Main Street.
“The neighborhood was seemingly lacking in investment,” says Ald. Mike Verveer, who represents the area. He made the decision more than 20 years ago to live in the Bassett Neighborhood because he felt the struggling district needed “special attention,” and he was among the city officials who in 1997 developed a master plan to improve the neighborhood.
One of the initiatives identified in the plan called for improving the neighborhood’s existing housing stock and adding new developments to increase residential density. A major player in the effort has been Urban Land Interests, a Madison developer with its headquarters in the neighborhood. But even before the city’s push for housing in the Bassett Neighborhood, ULI had been working toward that same goal, says Anne Morrison, a development associate with ULI. The firm launched its first residential project in the area with the Doty School Condominium redevelopment in the 1980s.
“That project was a little bit pioneering,” Morrison says. “It was done in an attempt to strengthen the residential character of that neighborhood.”
In the last several years, ULI has developed a number of new apartment buildings in the area, including the modernist, 117-unit SEVEN27 at 727 Lorillard Court; the 61-unit Tobacco Lofts at 738 Lorillard Court; and the 80-unit Nine Line at the Yards at 633 W. Wilson St. Plans for more housing are in the works. On March 16, ULI submitted a letter of intent for a fourth apartment complex at 222 S. Bedford St. that would add approximately 88 units to the neighborhood.
“I think it’s a very strong residential neighborhood that’s only becoming stronger,” Morrison says. “It’s an evolving place.”
The steady stream of new hires flocking to work at Epic Systems in Verona has been cited as a key driver in Madison’s housing boom, and the Bassett Neighborhood is no different. Morrison says the ULI’s new, upscale developments are popular with young professionals but notes that the firm is not specifically marketing the apartments to that demographic.
“We are certainly interested in attracting millennials and Epic employees, but we do see the future of this neighborhood as being much more diverse, generationally,” Morrison says, noting that a significant portion of ULI’s tenants are boomers or older. “We do think it’s a great neighborhood for everybody.”
The increased density has brought renewed opportunity for businesses to invest and grow in the neighborhood. In recent years the Sadhana wine shop on Bassett Street has expanded to a larger space, and the Echo Tap on West Main Street has undergone a major remodel. Improvements to amenities at Brittingham Park — most notably the presence of Brittingham Boats — as well as recreational mainstays like the popular dog park on John Nolen Drive and the busy Capital City Trail bike path have added value for neighborhood residents.
Verveer says the city is gearing up for even more neighborhood improvements, with funding set aside in the 2016 budget for renovating the dog park and a planning effort underway to revamp parts of Brittingham Park along North Shore Drive and John Nolen Drive. There’s even talk of reopening an elementary school in the area — a first since the district closed Madison’s downtown schools decades ago.
“This used to be a secret gem of a neighborhood,” he says. “Now, it’s no longer a secret whatsoever.”
