Community members gave their opinions on two proposals for the redesign of the two-block area on the north side of the Capitol, which is known as Judge Doyle Square, at a committee listening session Monday.
The city began planning the Judge Doyle Square redesign in 2010, and it gained momentum in July 2012 when Madison’s Common Council approved a new Downtown Plan, which outlines a vision for the next 20 years of the downtown area and establishes recommendations to achieve the vision, including the redevelopment of the square.
Two companies, JDS Development of Madison and the JourneymanGroup of Austin, Texas, have submitted proposals for the project, which include the construction of a full-purpose hotel that could serve the Monona Terrace Convention Center.
Madison College Meeting and Event Management Degree Program Director Janet Sperstad said even walking a few blocks between a hotel and the Monona Terrace Convention Center deters conference attendees from participating in events.
“It is imperative that we have facilities so close that we call it ‘one elevator ride away,’” Sperstad said, meaning hotels need to be as close as possible to the convention center.
Susan Springman, who spoke on behalf of the group that owns the Inn on the Park, asked the committee to consider several critical questions, including whether or not a new hotel would benefit the Monona Terrace Conference Center, noting a number of available rooms in the area were not considered in the city’s hotel feasibility assessment.
“The projections that [the committee has] are just a snapshot in time,” Springman said. “Anything can happen in the marketplace in the meantime.”
Joshua Berkson, co-owner of the Merchant restaurant, 121 S. Pinckney St., said he thinks the Judge Doyle Square project would be a positive development for the city and hopes the community will engage with the project to make it happen.
“I think it’s going to be hard, but let’s get it done sooner rather than later so we can all enjoy the benefits of a reinvigorated neighborhood,” Berkson said.
The Judge Doyle Square Committee is expected to recommend one of the proposals to the Common Council by the end of the year.
