News-Voit-Field-Development-05032018
Several properties near the Voit farm could be combined for a large development.
For 40 years, Ald. David Ahrens has often heard rumors about the Voit family’s 68-acre property on the eastern edge of Madison.
Those rumors have turned out to be just that. Until now.
“There’s always been talk that ‘Voit is selling, Voit is selling,’” Ahrens says. “But this is real this time.”
There’s no developer or buyer yet, but city officials are contemplating what could be done with the farm and several nearby properties, which are either up for sale or are unused.
The Voit family did not return a request for comment through their real estate agent, Tom Bunbury. Bunbury says the family is not accepting offers for the property just yet and it is not technically for sale. However, they’ve hired him to help figure out what to do with the land.
“They’ve got to figure out what they have, what the city will let them do, and what it’s worth,” Bunbury says. “It’s a beautiful piece of property and the Voits want to do something special with that land, but they don’t know what that is yet. Once we find out what that is, then we can move forward.”
The Voit farm, which includes a concrete plant also owned by the family, is the largest property in the mix. But several other parcels could potentially be folded into a larger development, including: the Durren farm (for sale); the former Swiss Colony facility (vacant); and the U.S. Postal Service sorting facility (which shifted some operations to Milwaukee in 2015). Woodman’s, on the other side of Milwaukee Street, is also interested in replacing its grocery store and Madison Metro’s east transfer point is due for an upgrade.
The prospect of developing such an enormous chunk of land — the combined property area is roughly the size of the isthmus between Henry and Livingston streets — has city officials dreaming big.
Daniel McAuliffe, a Madison city planner, notes that properties this large and close to downtown that are available for redevelopment “don’t come that often.”
This area is also notable in that it’s already connected to the bus system, he adds, with 200 buses passing through each day.
“A lot of times when we have these major development areas, [developers] will talk hypothetically about connecting it to transit,” McAuliffe says. “This is 60 or so acres of developable area with some of the best transit access in the city. Major redevelopment areas in other plans might be 10 acres.”
The Voit farm is technically located in the town of Blooming Grove, which is scheduled to be annexed by the city by 2027. “Really, the city is the decision maker in this,” Ahrens says. “We consult with Blooming Grove, but they recognize they’re not going to be around in another decade.”
So Madison is working on a “special area plan” to set guidelines for redevelopment, McAuliffe says. City officials are currently meeting with neighborhood groups, bus riders and others to get input on what they’d like to see happen with the property.
“About half the area would be useful in some way for development,” says Ahrens, who represents the parts of the area that are in the city. “But before it can be developed in any way, the city has to make the rules for the game: How much of it is housing, how much is commercial, what’s the interaction with the other parts of the property.”
Ahrens is excited about the potential for a large natural park — the property includes part of Starkweather Creek and wetlands — just a few miles from downtown. There’s also a pond, which has been used to divert phosphorous out of Starkweather Creek.
Ahrens is also eager to see a nicer bus transfer station, one that would allow people to get out of the weather, use a bathroom, and purchase something to eat.
Fred Svensson, vice president of the Eastmorland Community Association, is excited about the potential to link a natural area on the Voit property to Sherry Park and Olbrich Gardens and park.
He also sees a need for higher density housing and thinks commercial development on some of the property could fill a void, with things like a neighborhood coffee shop, a family pizza joint and an ice cream parlor. On the other hand, he hopes there’s no big-box store or a 10-story building.
“I see it as a site for a really cool, interesting development. It’s almost as large as downtown is,” he says. “It has a lot of potential to make an awesome impact, not just for our neighborhood, but the city of Madison.
“I’m surprised it’s taken so long to develop these areas,” he adds.
The city hopes to have its special area plan approved by the end of the year. In the meantime, officials continue to gather input. On May 1, Ahrens and McAuliffe surveyed bus riders at the transfer point.
The Eastmorland Community Association will discuss the project at its May 8 meeting, at 7 pm at Lakeview Moravian Community Church, 3565 Tulane Ave.
Editor's note: This article originally stated that the U.S. Postal Service closed its Madison processing plant in 2015. While the Post Office shifted some operations to Milwaukee, the facility remains in operation.
