East Washington Avenue
Capitol Gateway Corridor Plan
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The City of Madison sought a critical framework for addressing the significant land use and design issues posed by one of its most prominent gateway to the Capitol and Downtown. The City applied for and received a matching grant from the Dane County BUILD (Better Urban Infill Development) Program, along with additional area businesses and neighborhood funds, to develop a focused vision for the corridor. Vandewalle & Associates was selected as the urban design/planning consultant.
Flanked by solid residential neighborhoods to the north and south, the underutilized central corridor was no longer the vital commercial and industrial use center it once was. With these factors in mind, the City, local business, and neighborhood interests identified the corridor as the last opportunity to provide a concentration of employment and new job-creating uses within the City—and assigned it high priority.
The issues, concepts, and strategies developed transcended a typical urban design plan. Many lively debates addressed a wide range of issues.
The resulting plan included four core development principles and recommendations for the various techniques needed to achieve them including land uses, bulk standards, design guidelines, transportation and parking considerations, and recommended implementation activities to bring the plan to fruition.
V&A and City of Madison were awarded the WAPA’s Best Urban Design award for East Washington Avenue Capitol Gateway Corridor plan in 2010. The award is given for an “urban design concept for a new or redeveloped area of unusually high quality and design.”