Plan Commission delays rezoning and refers demolition, conditional-use requests for 77 Sirloin Strip

The Madison Plan Commission on March 3 placed a rezoning request for 77 Sirloin Strip on file without prejudice and referred separate demolition and conditional‑use applications to a future meeting after hearing staff analysis, developer presentations and public comment.

Tim Parks, planning staff, told the commission the three items before the body were a demolition permit for the existing restaurant at 77 Sirloin Strip, a rezoning from TRV‑2 (Traditional Residential Varied 2) to TRU‑1 (Traditional Residential Urban 1) to allow greater height and density, and a conditional‑use request for a four‑story, 74‑unit apartment building targeted to residents aged 55 and over. Parks said the South Madison plan recommends low‑to‑medium residential uses for the site and contains a specific direction that building height on this parcel be measured from the bottom of an approximately 20–25 foot rock outcropping so new construction would not loom over the adjacent mobile home park.

The applicant team, represented by Julian Walters of Eminent Development Corporation and Steve Schulker of Sketchworks Architecture, described the proposal as an affordable senior housing development with communal amenities and a storm‑shelter design element for mobile home park residents. Walters said the team held a neighborhood meeting on Jan. 28 with interpreted Spanish language services and that three to five community members attended; he said the team is open to further outreach and to negotiating space for existing tenants.

Members of the public questioned potential displacement and the status of existing commercial tenants. Araceli Rivera, who said she operates a restaurant at the site, said she had a contract giving her a five‑year purchase option or continued tenancy for 10 years and said she and her business invested savings based on those terms. Property owner Tommy Hannah confirmed the tenants’ contract includes a first‑right‑of‑refusal on sale and said the owners were prepared to explore relocation or a commercial space within the proposed building.

Commission discussion focused on whether the rezoning and proposed height could be found consistent with the South Madison plan’s “select conditions” for larger multifamily buildings, and on the project’s timeline for seeking WHEDA financing (“WIDA” in the project team’s remarks). Commissioner Solheim said the site was given a specific call‑out in the relatively recent South Madison plan and said she was reluctant to make the finding that the rezoning was consistent with the plan. Other commissioners expressed concern that placing the rezoning on file could delay financing cycles and push the project out of competition for upcoming funding rounds.

A motion to place the rezoning request on file without prejudice passed (tally: 5–3). The commission then voted unanimously to refer the demolition permit and the conditional‑use application to the Plan Commission meeting on March 17 for further consideration, so the three requests can be considered together.

The developer emphasized continued outreach and said it will refine designs and pursue required reviews, including Urban Design Commission review and any required relocation planning with the existing tenant(s).

What’s next: The items will be heard again March 17, when the commission will revisit the demolition permit and conditional‑use standards and could forward recommendations to Common Council on the rezoning if it is brought back for action.

Sources: Staff presentation and public hearing record of the March 3, 2025 Madison Plan Commission meeting; quotes and factual details are drawn from public remarks and staff materials provided during the hearing.