Madison Central Business Improvement District (BID) Board, April 1 2010

The Madison BID Board met on April 1, 2010 and discussed the following items:

• The Madison Downtown Plan - Board members received an updated on the Downtown Plan from City of Madison Planning Director Bill Fruhling. The plan will hopefully be adopted in Fall of this year. More information on the Downtown Plan, including public meetings regarding the Plan, can be found here: http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/downtownPlan/whatsnew.cfm
• The Madison Central Library - As many of you probably know, negotiations between the City of Madison and Fiore, the original developer of the new library on W. Washington have stalled and the Mayor is currently pursuing a renovation plan for the current library. The BID Board approved the following statement regarding their position on the project:
  Madison’s Central Business Improvement District (BID) represents business and
  property owners in the greater State Street and Capitol Square area. The mission of
  Madison’s Central BID is to increase the vitality and health of the District and promote
  business within it. BID programs support the economic vitality of central downtown as a
  regional destination for shopping, dining, entertainment, arts and culture. Both the
  current Central Library site and the proposed West Washington library site are within
  the BID.
  The proposed Central Library project on West Washington Ave. that included
  redevelopment of the current Library site had multiple benefits for not only the block but
  also the central downtown: a much-needed new Library; leveraging private investment
  with city dollars; adding to the downtown tax base and business activity; and more
  lighting, parking, and activity in a key area near Overture Center, State Street and the
  Capitol Square.
  The BID strongly encourages the City to further explore the West Washington Ave.
  Central Library project, and vision for the block, before abandoning it in favor of
  renovation of the current Library.
• Peace Park - Construction has begun and should be finished in Aug/Sept.
• Alcohol License Density Ordinance (ALDO) - The ALRC Subcommittee meeting regarding ALDO is this Thursday, April 8. The Board is interested in making several amendments to the ordinance, as well as analyzing the statistics currently used to support the ordinance.

If you have any questions, let me know. - Nicole