Madison Fresh Market owner Jeff Maurer said he was “disappointed” after the city of Madison and private developer Urban Land Interests announced Tuesday they no longer plan to move forward with redevelopment plans for a property on the 800 block of East Washington Avenue.
Maurer, who planned to expand his grocery store to that neighborhood, said Fresh Market conducted two studies that showed the store would thrive in the neighborhood and that the area “is in need of a grocery store.”
The store also would have created around 100 part-time and full-time jobs in the neighborhood, according to a statement released by Madison Fresh Market.
“I’m disappointed on two fronts,” Maurer said. “One that I can’t expand our company and secondly that the neighbors and community surrounding [that neighborhood] are still going to be driving outside their market area to go get groceries.”
The city and ULI, the private developer who collaborated with the city on the project, mutually agreed the development’s financial model would not generate sufficient incremental taxes to justify the project, according to a statement released by the city.
The project plan included developing of two commercial buildings, an apartment building and a parking ramp where Occupy Madison staged its protest this past year.
“We’re going to talk to the city,” Maurer said. “There are a lot of development plans for that East Washington corridor, so I hope we can be part of a future development [there].”
