14-STORY MIXED-USE APARTMENT BUILDING PROPOSED FOR DOWNTOWN MADISON 

A developer is offering another ambitious project for the core Downtown, this time a 14-story, $25 million mixed-use project near Overture Center and State Street. The city is intrigued and also asked Hovde Properties to explore the feasibility of including new Downtown Fire Department facilities, which could roughly double the cost, size, housing units and parking spaces in the project.  

OREGON PARK PLAN COMES TOGETHER 

Dane County is planning a large multi-use park near Oregon on land once tilled by a longtime politico dedicated to agriculture and land use. A master plan for the park on a 127-acre parcel the county purchased from Lyman Andersons family in the town of Oregon calls for a 40-acre off-leash area for dogs.

STATE SUPREME COURT WON'T REVIEW DECISION ON EDGEWATER 

In what may be just a footnote to a once-lingering controversy, the state Supreme Court on Thursday said it wont review an appeals court decision that upheld a Madison City Council vote supporting a project to redevelop the Edgewater Hotel.

PETITION WOULD MAKE APPROVAL HARDER FOR GRANDVIEW COMMONS COPPS STORE  

Residents filed a petition with the city to make it harder for a developer to get a zoning change for a big-box grocery store in the Grandview Commons neighborhood on the Far East Side. The petition, if verified, means Veridian Homes must win a three-quarters supermajority of City Council members casting votes on a proposal to change zoning to accommodate a 58,000-square-foot Copps grocery store.

CHAMBER SUPPORTS BLOCK 100 FOUNDATION PROJECT SET TO TRANSFORM DOWNTOWN MADISON 

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors passed a resolution supporting the timely approval of the Block 100 Foundation Project. The project - completely funded by a philanthropic gift from Jerry Frautschi and Pleasant Rowland - goes far beyond transforming the 100 block of State Street and North Fairchild Street.

PROPOSED STATE STREET RECONSTRUCTION DELAYED 

The city delayed a State Street reconstruction proposal after a decision from the Landmarks Commission Monday included the potential demolition of two Mifflin Street buildings...David Stark, whose grandfather the Stark building was named after, said the benefits the proposal will give to the city far outweigh any historical or emotional value of the building

CITY TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR STUDY ON NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS 

The city of Madison has set a series of meetings starting next week to get public input for a study on neighborhood centers. The study, to be done by the Community Development Division, will cover the role of neighborhood centers in the human services delivery system.

METCALFES PROPOSES EAST WASH LOCATION 

Two building proposals for the city-owned land along East Washington Avenue envision different futures for the area east of Capitol Square. Proposed by Metcalfes Market, the newest plan for the former site of the Don Miller auto dealership along the 800 block of East Washington is a $45 million package, the centerpiece of which is a new Metcalfes location with a rooftop farm

W SOLAR STILL PLANS MOVE TO MADISON AREA 

When W Solar Group announced in December 2010 that it planned to move its headquarters and research center to the Madison area from Chatsworth, Calif., and to open a solar panel factory somewhere in Wisconsin in 2012, state and local officials cheered. The state offered up to $28 million in enterprise zone tax credits if the company followed through on its promise to create more than 600 jobs and invest $300 million or more in Wisconsin facilities by 2015.

BANKS SOMETIMES TURNING TO SHORT SALES FOR UNDERWATER MORTGAGES

As the Madison-area housing market struggles under a backlog of distressed properties, national banks are seeking short sales more aggressively as a less-costly alternative to additional foreclosures.

The national banks offering cash incentives to delinquent borrowers in short sales say the practice makes sense. "We think a short sale is a better and faster solution for the homeowner and the neighborhood and the investor, when the homeowner doesn't qualify for a modification," said Chase Bank spokeswoman Christine Holevas. "It allows everything to move forward." Holevas also confirmed her bank was doing more short sales and offering incentives of up to $35,000 per seller.

SCHOOL BOARD RACES BUFFETED BY ACHIEVEMENT GAP TENSIONS

Since 2007, there have been nine elections for seats on the Madison School Board. Only two have been contested. This year, two seats on the School Board are hotly contested, a political dynamic that engages the community and that most members of the board welcome.

PARK EAST APARTMENTS PLAN LANDS NEW PARTNER; WORK COULD BEGIN THIS YEAR

The long-delayed Park East Square apartment development might finally see a construction start this year, thanks to the developer acquiring a partner to help finance the project. Developer Richard Curto is scheduled to appear at Monday's meeting of the County Board's Committee on Economic and Community Development to provide the details. The newly posted committee agenda includes a letter from Curto asking to make an appearance.

A proposal to demolish Milwaukee's East Library branch and replace it with a new library and upper-level apartments won recommended approval, and compliments for its revised design, from the Plan Commission at its Monday meeting. HSI Properties LLC wants to build 99 apartments, most of them one-bedroom units, with 118 underground parking spaces for the residents. Forty enclosed street-level parking spaces would be set aside for library patrons. 

Madison-based AnchorBank's foreclosure suit targeting Milwaukee's Oriental Theatre, and other properties owned by partnerships led by developer Boris Gokhman, has been dismissed, according to online court records. While the Gokhman partnerships still own the Oriental Theatre, other properties used to secure bank loans are now owned by Anchor.

The operators of Sentry Foods and Piggly Wiggly supermarkets in the Racine County community of Mount Pleasant are publicly fighting plans for a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Those rival supermarket operators "essentially plead for their lives" at a recent Plan Commission hearing, according to this story from the Journal Times.

FRANKLIN MANUFACTURER WILL NEARLY DOUBLE ITS FACILITY

S&C Electric Co.plans to nearly double the size of its facility in the Franklin Business Park, according to a FranklinNow.com story by reporter Candace Romano. The Chicago-based manufacturer plans on building a 38,323-square-foot addition to its existing 42,811-square-foot building, at 5251 W. Franklin Drive.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE LEAPS IN FEBRUARY

A private research group says that consumer confidence in February rose dramatically from last month to the highest level since a year ago when the U.S. economy's outlook started to look brighter before souring again. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 70.8, up from a revised 61.5 in January, helped by consumers' improving assessment of the job market. Analysts had expected a reading of 63. The February reading marks the highest level since February 2011 when it was 72.0.