January 27, 2005 Chris Laurent Gorman & Company, Inc. 1244 South Park Street Madison, WI 53715 Dear Chris, The steering group representatives from the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood extend our sincere gratitude to Gorman & Company for involving the neighborhood early on in the Don Miller property development plans. We are hopeful that by working together, we can create a development that will be successful for everyone involved. From the plan as we know it to exist today, we have made a check list of aspects we like and another check list of items we would like to see incorporated. Ranking is not incorporated into these lists. (Note: These recommendations were endorsed by the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Council at their January 27, 2005 regular meeting.) Plan aspects favored by the neighborhood: * Mixed use weighted toward single family residences * Townhouses with private entryways * Small, localized retail * Live/work housing * Diversity of floor plans ranging from efficiencies to three bedrooms * Generous open spaces for landscaping - setbacks, cut throughs, courtyards * Contemporary architecture * Lower building massing on Mifflin graduating toward higher massing on E. Washington * Auto entrances limited to Paterson and Livingston * Nine separate buildings rather than one monolithic building Plan aspects desired by the neighborhood: * The use of green building techniques, including green roofs, rain gardens and dark sky lighting design * Enclosed first floor porches or patios on Mifflin townhouses * Adequate retail parking * Inclusionary zoning units spread across all floor plans * Distinctive, quality architecture with interesting details * Parking for alternative transportation: bicycles, community car * Interior street to be as narrow as legally possible * Maintain Capitol view in the E. Washington corridor coming from First Street * Annual bus passes incorporated into condo fees * Facilitation of a construction committee of neighbors, developer and construction company * Attention to personal security for residents as they go to and from their cars in the parking area * Completion of an environmental impact study Desires and Concerns Our neighborhood has expressed general support for the current Gorman & Company plan for the Don Miller property. The location of the property, within the boundaries of both the Tenney- Lapham and Old Marketplace neighborhoods and in close proximity to the Marquette neighborhood, lends this development great importance to many people. The location is highly visible, on one of the most traveled streets in the city. For these reasons we want the 800 block to be a signature development and set a high standard of excellence for future projects in the area. The block, sandwiched between Breese Stevens Field, Reynolds Park and E. Washington Avenue, lends itself to multiple faces. On the Reynolds Park side, you have the residential face. On the E. Washington side, you have the urban, industrial/commercial face. The graduation from low townhouses on Mifflin to the five-story condos in the center to the larger buildings on E. Washington embodies the many faces of our neighborhood. Given the proximity to the downtown, the neighborhood consensus is that the site can support larger buildings than typically found in other areas of the neighborhood. It should be noted that a minority of residents would prefer no new construction be taller than existing buildings in the area The tower building will be the signature of the development. Its architecture should be contemporary because we would like our neighborhood and the city of Madison to express a vision of the future rather than mimicry of the past. This building will greet visitors to Madison and we would like it to make a statement. The primary desire expressed by neighborhood residents for this site is for affordable, owner- occupied housing. We believe the area already has too much rental and not enough opportunity for home ownership. Madison has a recognized unmet demand for housing affordable to people who make less than $80,000 a year. The neighborhood feels strongly that a significant number of the inclusionary zoning units target families. More affordable, owner-occupied family housing will also help realize the neighborhood goal of strengthening support for our school, Lapham Elementary. In addition, attractive, affordable downtown units will make urban living attainable to a more diverse range of people, and help control greenfield development outside city limits. The neighborhood committee believes a healthy portion of the townhouses along Mifflin Street should target families. We feel the townhouses in the plan, each with its individual entry, will be most attractive for families. These townhouses should be only two or three stories with a first floor covered porch or balcony. Our neighborhoods are safer and more kid friendly when people can sit outdoors observing the street scene. In addition, we like the way townhouses are distributed among three buildings, rather than being one long massive wall of units. This configuration complements nicely the detached housing units across Reynolds Park and allows for additional private entryways along pedestrian access routes between the buildings. Neighborhood feedback also indicates a strong desire for small, locally owned retail to complement the existing Johnson Street business district. The large number of live/work spaces planned for the interior street received a favorable response. We believe these spaces will attract entrepreneurs who will bring interesting new neighborhood services. The neighborhood has many artists, and the live/work housing will provide needed public art spaces and may serve as an incubator for our expanding arts community. We are looking forward to how these spaces might evolve over time. We strongly encourage the developers to use green, environmentally sensitive design and construction. Specifically, green roofs are desired given our proximity to the lakes and our desire to keep pollutant laden runoff out of them. Where possible, landscaping should incorporate rain gardens. In addition, outdoor lighting should be sensitive to dark sky initiatives. Such a sizable development in our midst must be mindful of the environmentally progressive nature of our residents. In conclusion, we are looking forward to continuing to work with Gorman & Company as the plan evolves during the city application process.