MADISON, WISC. (Excerpts from madison.com and Wisconsin State Journal) – The proposed rebirth of the former Oscar Mayer site and surrounding area on the East and North sides of Madison could bring 4,000 new jobs, 4,000 residents, pedestrian-friendly streets to reconnect neighborhoods and $300 million in new property tax base, according to city plans.
The draft plans – prepared with the assistance of Vandewalle & Associates – call for a mix of housing and commercial space, community gathering areas with food carts and restaurants at the intersection of two key corridors Commercial Avenue and Packers Avenues. These areas currently dominated by parking and traffic would become more walkable, with pedestrian crossings and landscaped terraces.
Most of the Oscar Mayer buildings would be repurposed, including several structures on the north side of the 72-acre site. A much-needed satellite bus storage facility would facilitate expansion of the city’s bus system and implementation of Bus Rapid Transit. A future BRT route could run along either Packers Avenue or Sherman Avenue.
So far, residents have had a generally positive reaction to the plans. Find out more details in the full madison.com article (the article also provides an interesting photo timeline of the area’s meaty history).
