All posts by admin

The University of Wisconsin James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate held a Real Estate seminar in May, led by David Sliwicki, featured Christopher Ehlers, CEO of Veridian Homes, and Brian Munson, Principal at Vandewalle & Associates.

Students had the chance to learn directly from real-world practitioners with an inside look at how single-family homebuilding projects really come together.

A range of current real estate topics, their ins-and-outs, and their challenges were covered; including land planning, land acquisition, entitlements, infrastructure, financing and the homebuyer experience.

MADISON, WIS. (EXCERPTS FROM HUDUSER.GOV) – Rise Madison is a new, income-limited housing development that is expected to ease the housing squeeze in Madison’s Hawthorne Area. “Rise” refers both to the goal of uplifting the community, and to the rise of dough in breadmaking. The development’s four unique buildings are nestled on the 6-acre site of a former bakery.

The project helps meet Dane County’s housing affordability goal of adding 35,300 new workforce housing units for households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) by 2040. In 2025, the opening of Rise Madison helped close some of this gap, adding 245 units of income-limited housing as one of the largest government-subsidized housing developments.

To convert the site to housing, the city rezoned the area from industrial and light manufacturing to multifamily residential with light commercial while overlaying a tax increment financing (TIF) district. Construction began in December 2023, and the development opened in phases until the project’s completion in October 2025.

The Rise Madison development includes the Starling which serves senior residents; The Vireo Townhomes; the 5-story Hawthorne Pointe mixed-use residential and commercial building; and The Phoebe with housing and community space.

Neighborhood residents can also enjoy access to the 1.5-acre park at Rise Madison, which was added in response to community concerns that the neighborhood needed additional park space. Reflecting the multigenerational character of the development, the park includes playground equipment for children, adult exercise equipment, and a looped walking trail that lets seniors and residents of all ages enjoy outdoor activity.

Vandewalle & Associates is pleased to welcome Ayden Gnewuch as a full-time Assistant Designer starting in June. Ayden has worked with us at our Madison office as a Design intern while studying Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin. As a new 2026 bachelor’s degree graduate from the UW program, Ayden has already proven himself to be a talented and resourceful addition to our Design Team. Please help us congratulate him!

JEFFERSON COUNTY, WIS. (EXCERPTS FROM BIZTIMES.COM) – The new Food Innovation Campus in Jefferson has won project of the year from Thrive Economic Development and BizTimes Media’s Thrive Leaders & Legends Awards. The project, which was identified and teed up with the help of Vandewalle & Associates through work with Jefferson County, the City of Jefferson, and Thrive.

“The campus was designed to create an ecosystem for food and beverage manufacturers,” said Deb Ryanold, president of Thrive Economic Development. “A project like the food and beverage innovation campus works in Jefferson County because we have deep and cherished roots in agriculture, food production, and manufacturing.”

The innovative project reflects the collective commitment of business and community leaders and area organizations to improve the economy and quality of life in Jefferson County. So when Kikkoman – the world’s leading manufacturer of Asian seasoning – came to the area looking for a site, Jefferson and Thrive Partners were able to answer the call.

At the awards ceremony, Jefferson County’s most innovative businesses and solution-oriented organizations took center stage. The inaugural April event was held at the Riverstone Premier Event Center in Fort Atkinson. Attending were nearly 200 business owners, executives and community leaders from Jefferson County and across the region. The awards recognize and highlight outstanding businesses, organizations, leaders and initiatives.

Lake Geneva aldermen recommend hiring city planning firm Vandewalle & Associations of Madison to help develop a Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.  

In its proposal the Vandewalle & Associates team described a future-oriented Plan that delivers a coordinated and cohesive analysis, a clear vision, and guidance for the entire recreation system–that includes the community’s parks, trails, recreational programming and partnerships, lakefront assets and infrastructure, and operations.

The Plan will be completed over a 12-month process that will include an inclusive public participation process to understand and meet community desires.

WATERLOO, IOWA (Excerpts from KWWL.COM)— A new sporting facility is set to change the landscape for young athletes in Eastern Iowa. Construction is progressing on CourtWorks, a large-scale facility in downtown Waterloo. This project promises to provide eight full-size basketball courts, which can also transform into 16 volleyball courts, accommodating various hard-court sports.

Ashley Johnson, Executive Director of the Cedar Valley Sports Commission, emphasized the potential impact of CourtWorks.

“What CourtWorks will be, is really kind of a more state championship, regional championship, national championship, caliber facility. So it’ll be larger events coming that bring a lot more outside visitors,” Johnson said.

Currently, about 25% of local youth in the Cedar Valley participate in traveling sports. With the new facility, families might no longer need to travel to places like Des Moines, Milwaukee, or Minneapolis for tournaments.

WATERLOO, IOWA – Waterloo’s River Lights Experience is featured in this issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine. The article explores how the dynamic new programmed lighting installation not only highlights the falls and the 4th Street Bridge, it also brings the community together in a shared experience of energy and color.

The bridge and this part of the river had long been seen as a physical and socio-economic barrier between parts of the community. In his lighting ceremony address, Mayor Quentin Hart explained the transformation and its importance to the community this way. “I want it, once and for all, to transform this archaic symbol of division into a modern celebration of unity.”

Vandewalle & Associates and Eye Level Studio helped the City envision the transformation lighting could make to this section of the falls, and worked with Shakespeare Lighting and Rutland-Kuiper Architects to bring it to fruition.

A new guide has been released for use with Dane County communities: Best Practices Residential Zoning Code: Evaluation Guide to Address the Dane County Housing Crisis.

Read More

WATERLOO, IOWA – Waterloo Development Corporation broke ground this week on its new Cedar Valley CourtWorks facility, at the same time announcing its “Raise Our Game” campaign.

Read More

DANE COUNTY, WISC. – Dane County has put out a request for proposals to deliver a “transformative renovation” to the Alliant Energy Center’s 58-year-old Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Read More

MADISON, WISC – Rise Madison is an all-affordable housing community in Madison, Wisconsin. It opened with four buildings (Hawthorne Pointe, The Starling, Vireo Townhomes; the fourth, The Phoebe, is expected in early October). whpc.com

The development has 245 units (one‑, two‑, and three‑bedroom) for families and seniors, with income restrictions between ~30‑80% of Area Median Income (AMI). 

Amenities include ~1.5 acres of green/open space, playground, community rooms, fitness rooms, rooftop plaza, underground parking; the site is well connected (public transit, schools, clinics). 

Funding sources include LIHTC (4%), tax‑exempt bonds, TIF, and state grants.

WATERTOWN, WISC.- The Collective Campus redevelopment in Watertown has won an award from WEDA for “Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse.”

Read More

WASHINGTON CO. WISC. – On Wednesday, October 15 from 4-7 pm, the homeowners association of the Oaks of Jackson hosts its first ever community block party. Sponsors for the event include planners Vandewalle & Associates, as well as builders Harbor Homes and Hillcrest, and SEH the engineer/planner.

Read More

MADISON, WISC. For cities and villages in Dane County interested in addressing the housing shortage, the Grandview Commons residential mixed-use neighborhood on Madison’s far east side provides a real-world example of bringing together different types and densities of housing in one neighborhood, at a range of price points.

Read More

MADISON (WKOW) — Rise Madison, a new affordable housing development geared toward working individuals, families and senior opened at 958 Rise Lane, at the intersection of East Washington and N. Fair Oaks Avenues.

The Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp., nonprofit owner and developer of the housing project, worked with developers and the City to bring about the project.

Affordable housing is much needed in Wisconsin’s fastest growing county. Local leaders expressed their hopes for the development and the opportunities it will give Madison residents.

VERONA, WIS. House 360°, a new multicultural arts hub in Verona, opened its doors to the public this past month to great excitement after a three-year effort to make it happen.

Read More

MADISON, WISC. – On July 8, a close group of Vandewalle & Associates employees present and past, along with members of the Slavney family, gathered in a private informal ceremony to honor the memory and legacy of community service of the late Mike Slavney, FAICP. A young Serviceberry tree was planted in tribute on the V&A grounds.

Read More

On August 7, principal Brian Munson of Vandewalle & Associates led a neighborhood tour on behalf of Dane County for the Model Ordinance project. The tour visited one of Veridian Homes’ largest traditional neighborhoods: Grandview Commons.

Read More

A new neighborhood design from Veridian Homes proposes 500 single-family homes, twin homes and townhouses would be built on about 150 acres of farmland on Madison’s Far East Side.

Read More

BAYSIDE, WIS. – Bayside will soon get 153 new senior housing units in the OneNorth development at Port Washington Road and Brown Deer Road, offering the ability to provide a full range of senior care: Independent living, age-in-place assisted living, and memory care. This need was identified in the community’s updated Comprehensive Plan.

Not all assisted living or communities are fully continuity-of-care equipped. It’s an important factor to consider for the aging process, helping helps keep people in the community they know even as their needs change. The surrounding mixed-use development is expected to offer other walkable amenities seniors appreciate, such as a new library.

The apartments raise the 26-acre OneNorth development’s total investment to $100 million, Scott Yauck, Cobalt Partners president and chief executive officer, told the Journal Sentinel in November. In 2021, the village approved a tax incremental financing district that will help fund development on the site with $35 million in village financing.

Public engagement throughout the Comprehensive and OneNorth planning processes has helped the community express preferences and evolve the entire development to be closer to community goals.

Construction has now started, with the goal of completion by early 2027.

MADISON, WIS. – A public-private partnership led by the Regent Street Group has big ideas to turn a mile-long stretch of Madison’s Regent Street into a year-round entertainment district that plays on the area’s assets. Serving as a both a major transportation corridor and activity zone for UW Sports event-goers, it serves the diverse needs of students, healthcare workers, businesses, and neighborhood residents.

The area has already seen a dramatic increase in redevelopment and development density. But more transformation, much more, is coming.

In March, Rob Gottschalk from Vandewalle & Associates gave a well-received presentation on Regent Street. He explained the urgency to shape an aspirational vision now. He also shared some of the big ideas from the partnership. The goal is to inspire, secure Regent Street’s distinct character, and help shape the coming transformation to include a place for all users.

Beloit is doing everything it can to carry out the Beloit Comprehensive Plan, created with the help of Vandewalle & Associates. Read on to find out some of the activities and partnerships that are helping make the community’s goals and vision happen.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, WIS. – In this article from the Milwaukee Journal Biz Times, Jefferson County shares some of the planning, positioning and economic development efforts from the last decade that are now paying off, in a time that makes this a big deal indeed. Read the full story here.

With deep sorrow we share news of the passing of great champion of communities, principal planner, and friend Scott Harrington on 14 February.

Our team’s gratitude to Scott for his contributions over the last 22 years cannot be fully expressed. His impact on and in communities will only continue to grow.

As many of you know, Scott was diagnosed with a terminal illness just before Christmas. Being Scott, his first thought in late December was to help support clients and continue the great project momentum the team had built through our work together.

Scott was ever eager to share his expertise and deep knowledge, and helped build a formidable planning team. All of us will continue to benefit from his countless contributions in the months and years to come thanks to his undeniable energy, commitment, and powerful team spirit.

Scott’s family has shared this link to his official obituary: https://www.gundersonfh.com/obituaries/E-Scott-Harrington?obId=37337981.

As a company we are also gathering thoughts, stories, and condolences on our LinkedIn page from team clients, partners, colleagues, neighbors, and community. Please join us in that space to help honor Scott.

A publication of the Wisconsin League of Municipalities has published an article about the solutions two V&A client communities have used to help address the housing crisis.

Read More

MADISON, WISC.: Save the date for the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture Career Fair at UW–Madison on February 13–14, 2025.

Read More

VERONA, WISC.: The new Ice Rink at Century School Park is making this new area of the downtown vibrant all year around.

Read More

FORT ATKINSON, WISC.: With the goal of creating new multi-family and single-family homes, the City of Fort Atkinson announces its partnership with Intrepid Investments LLC, on the Ridge View Estates subdivision, located along Banker Road.

Read More

HORICON, WISC. January 13, it was announced that the City of Horicon would receive a Federal grant of $160,000 for railroad safety planning and design. The announcement comes after the City worked with Vandewalle & Associates on a competitive grant writing process. Many V&A team members were involved in this effort. 

Read More

Finnish food technology company Onego Bio has signed a letter of intent to purchase 25.9 acres of land located within Jefferson County’s Food and Beverage Innovation Campus on the south side of the City of Jefferson.

Read More

The City of Watertown recently worked with planning firm Vandewalle & Associates on new zoning changes.

Read More

The Village of Greendale asked for and received valuable input from Greendale residents to help plan and select new playground equipment for Community Center Park. Now that plan, first proposed in the Village’s 2023 Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, is funded and in motion.

“This important project, highlighted in the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, aims to replace outdated equipment with ADA-compliant equipment and all-abilities components,” the village said in the post.

Concepts were submitted by three playground suppliers, each offering options at $150,000 and $300,000 budget levels.

With a successful CBDG grant award, the Village’s 2025 budget now approved, and rollover funds from 2024, the Village will be able to execute park improvements at the $300,000 level.

Vandewalle & Associates is proud to announce that Jackie Mich, AICP, Lead Associate Planner has been named Director of the Milwaukee Office.

Read More

PORTAGE COUNTY: The Public Information Meeting on October 29^th, 2024, for Portage County’s Safety Action Plan study was a big success, with numerous attendees sharing their thoughts about traffic safety.  The interactive learning tables helped explain concepts such as positively offset left-turn lanes, advanced yield lines, and multi-lane roundabout driving. 

Vandewalle & Associates has been leading the Portage County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan update, one piece of the Portage County Safety Action Plan.

Read More