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MEMBERS FIRST CREDIT UNION OPENS NEW OFFICES
After several years looking for the right location Members First Credit Union opened their new offices at 3401 W. Beltline Highway on December 5, 2011. For the past 15 years, the credit union was located on the second floor of the Sergenian's building. The new building is located only a few blocks west along the West Beltline Highway from their previous location. Park Towne Development Corporation was the development consultant for the project. The building was designed and built by TJK Design Build, Inc.
Multimillion-dollar sales of land and buildings for purposes including senior housing, a pharmacy, retail/office and a large meat freezer were among the biggest deals in commercial real estate in Dane County last year. On Feb. 8, the Commercial Brokers Group's 2011 Deal of the Year awards will be announced at a CBG breakfast meeting in Madison.
A LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR IN RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE IN DANE COUNTY
It didn't take long for Liz Bachhuber and her husband, Eric, to decide the old stone farmhouse for sale in the town of Rutland last year was for them. "It had a lot of character," she said. "The window wells are a foot deep, and it has some really beautiful molding that you just can't find nowadays." Tucked away in a rural enclave some 15 minutes south of Madison, the farmhouse sits on six acres of land, with two outbuildings and a fenced yard and pasture - ideal for the couple's three horses and two young sons to roam, Liz Bachhuber said.
HOME SALES MARKET MIXED BAG IN 2011
It was a mixed bag in 2011. Dane County home sales last year finished 6 percent below the number of sales in 2010 and also were the lowest annual sales for well over a decade. But sales volume increased year-over-year for each of the last six months of the year, and median sales price for 2011 was nearly identical to 2010, giving home sellers hope that the steep price slide may be over.
GOODWILL ADDING NEW STORE IN FITCHBURG
Goodwill Industries of South Central Wisconsin is building a new store in Fitchburg and will add another in the area this year, bringing to 10 the total number of Goodwill retail locations in Dane County. The Fitchburg building, under construction at 6291 McKee Road by Kraus-Anderson Construction, is expected to open in late summer or early fall, Goodwill spokeswoman Maureen Roche said.
URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION SEES POTENTIAL IN 100 BLOCK PLAN
Two days after a rough showing before the Madison Landmarks Commission, the group hoping to redevelop a portion of the 100 block of State Street received mixed, but slightly more encouraging, feedback from the Urban Design Commission. The UDC opted on Wednesday to refer philanthropists W. Jerome Frautschi and Pleasant Rowland's $10 million redevelopment to a future meeting after giving developers feedback on the current proposal.
CENTRAL PARK MOVING FORWARD
After years of planning, ground could be broken later this year on the proposed Madison Central Park, according to a consultant working with the city. Ken Saiki, president and founder of Ken Saiki Design, presented phase one of the Central Park master plan to a group of about 50 people Tuesday night at the Wil-Mar Center.
CITY FACES STIFF COMPETITION IN BID TO KEEP HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS IN MADISON
With the WIAA weeks from a decision, Madison is stepping up efforts to keep the state boys and girls basketball tournaments - and the estimated $9 million in spending they generate - here. UW-Madison is pursing options to make the Kohl Center available on the WIAA's preferred dates and hoteliers are preparing a proposal to make the event more affordable to visitors, officials said.
UW-MADISON BEGINS WORK ON $76.8 MILLION 'ATHLETIC VILLAGE' AT CAMP RANDALL
UW-Madison is beginning to build an "Athletic Village," a $76.8 million hub around Camp Randall stadium where student athletes can study and train together. The project involves adding a new, three-story academic and strength training center onto the north end of Camp Randall Stadium and renovating locker rooms for university sports teams.
SOGLIN WANTS SPECTRUM BRANDS TO SWITCH NEW HQ SITE TO MADISON
Two sites in the Madison area were finalists for a new Spectrum Brands home after an almost year-long, secrecy-cloaked search. The Alexander Co.'s Novation Campus on Rimrock Road in the town of Madison and a new building to be built on Deming Way in Middleton by the Livesey Co. were the top options, according to emails between state officials and Atlanta real estate consultant Harry Joseph, released Monday.
Mayor Paul Soglin is crying foul over Spectrum Brands' impending move to Middleton, saying the city of Madison was never allowed to submit its own proposal to keep the company. The mayor has fired off a letter to Spectrum Brands CEO David Lumley, saying the company's use of an Atlanta-based site consultant effectively shut Madison out of the process.
LANDMARKS GROUP WON'T WEIGH IN ON B&B PLAN
A proposed bed and breakfast project will move along in the city process without a recommendation from the Madison Landmarks Commission. After two hours of public comment and debate Monday night, the commission failed to come to a decision on whether to recommend the sale of the landmark William and Dora Collins House, 704 E. Gorham St., for a proposed bed and breakfast.
A PROPOSAL FOR THE DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD MAY INCLUDE DEMOLSHING MIFFLIN STREET HOUSING
City officials heard a proposal for improving the downtown area Tuesday, including possible plans to demolish Mifflin Street housing, replacing it with high rise apartments. In addition to the Mifflin neighborhood changes, aspects of the Downtown Plan that affect students directly include paths along the Lake Mendota shoreline and behind Langdon Street.
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