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Developers present competing plans for 0 West Eighth Avenue; RDA enters closed session on bargaining and several purchase motions fail
Summary
Two development teams — a market-rate T Wall group and a local team proposing workforce-affordable housing — presented plans Sept. 21 for RDA property at 0 West Eighth Avenue; the RDA went into closed session on bargaining and later rejected multiple offers when public votes resumed.
Two development teams presented competing proposals Sept. 21 for RDA-owned property at 0 West Eighth Avenue, and the Redevelopment Authority moved into a closed session to discuss negotiation strategy before voting on offers.
On the virtual agenda, Jake Bunce, representing the T Wall development group, described a proposal similar in scale and character to the adjacent Mill On Main project: a four- to five-story mixed-use building with retail on the ground floor, underground parking and an estimated 70–90 residential units on a 1.3–1.4-acre site. Bunce said the developer could configure unit mixes to market demand and that lease-up pacing would drive phasing so the market would not be oversupplied.
A second presenter, Tim Hess (with business partner Chet Wiesenberg), proposed a smaller, workforce-affordable project of 34 units. Hess said the plan emphasizes lower-cost construction methods (surface parking, two stories without elevators) and rents targeted to workforce levels (Hess cited roughly $900 for a one-bedroom and about $1,100 for a two-bedroom, not including utilities). The team proposed parking over a contaminated area to cap environmental issues and asked the RDA for an initial six-month contingency to firm up financing and investor commitments.
After the two presentations, the authority voted to convene in closed session under Wis. Stat. §19.85(1)(e) to discuss bargaining options, strategy and terms for redeveloping 0 West Eighth Avenue. The roll call to enter closed session was recorded in the transcript.
When the public meeting resumed, the authority considered several offers and option agreements discussed in closed session. The transcript records three separate motions related to offers and options to purchase 0 West Eighth Avenue and nearby parcels; each motion failed on roll call. Staff said they will follow up with the presenters as directed. The meeting minutes show the RDA is continuing negotiations but did not finalize any purchase or option at the Sept. 21 meeting.
