The City Council voted to approve the development of Monroe Commons Tuesday and allow builders to construct a five-story complex, including a grocery store and condominiums.
In the communities of Monroe, Vilas and Regent stands a desolate, abandoned grocery store that went out of business approximately four years ago. Ready for a change, many residents in this community look forward to the new projects set forth by the city council.
Steve Puntillo, owner of Paragon Video and Stereo on Monroe Street, voiced his opinion at Tuesday's meeting.
\I can tell you when that place closed up we lost about $80,000 a year in small sales,"" Puntillo said. ""People would shop in the grocery store, park, and once they parked they went across the street and bought a video tape or a pair of speakers.""
Puntillo also said the new project will provide a number of community members with convenient and appropriate housing.
""I know a lot of folks in the neighborhood who want to sell their homes because they are getting elderly and they cannot shovel snow any longer,"" he said, ""but they want to stay in the community so now they can live upstairs from the grocery store and literally, like a hotel, be able to get groceries from a first level.""
The project's director, Ald. Ken Golden, District 10, also expressed the community value of the new complex. He said a grocery store would be a crucial element of community togetherness, curb suburban sprawl and place more people on the bus lines.
Golden also expressed the determination of these three communities to get the project passed.
""You saw the purest form of democracy in Madison tonight. You saw three neighborhoods come out in full force, you saw the representatives of the business district come out in full force, saying this is a project we want, need and support, and you saw a lot of soft no votes turn into hard yes votes,"" Golden said.
Others are less enthusiastic about the project. Beth Harper, who lives near Monroe Commons, said the city missed a golden opportunity.
""I'm glad to see a grocery store is going in there, but I think they missed a chance to put in some affordable housing in a neighborhood that could use it,"" Harper said.
