After some public comments and the wave of the hand to a 100-signature petition in opposition, Monroe's Common Council Tuesday gave the green light, for the most part, to a $7 million senior housing project downtown.
Silverstone Partners, Inc. of Middleton wants to build a three-story, 52-unit apartment complex for people over the age of 55 in downtown Monroe, at the site of a current municipal parking lot at 16th Avenue and 8th Street.
Unfortunately, we're not totally clear if more senior housing is really what Monroe needs - although there's some anecdotal and demographic evidence that suggests that might be the case. But given the public investment, we could use a little more detail, and more time to check it out.
Tom Sather, president and CEO of Silverstone, believes there's a need for more housing for active seniors interested in being close to the city's center. In various meetings with the Common Council, he has said today's "seniors" want to be close to where the action is.
How valid is Sather's assessment of what individuals over 55 in Green County want? City leaders don't exactly know.
This developer has had the wind at his back from day one. In this economic climate, that's a rare thing. So too is the willingness of a private interest to invest $7 million in a downtown area. We applaud Silverstone for seeing that much potential in Monroe. But that doesn't mean the public doesn't have a right to more complete information.
For his part, Mayor Bill Ross said the developer has done a market study, and asserted that no business person would invest so much money without there being a market for such housing, a point reiterated Tuesday night. The mayor and others also see its potential to increase revenue to the Tax Increment District 7, which is losing money and being supported by TID 6.
But in speaking against the proposed project at that same meeting, alderman Chuck Koch said he still had questions - and had yet to receive answers.
"We have no studies we can refer to; it seems to be push, push, push" to get the project approved, Koch said.
The urgency to move ahead isn't a bad thing. It just needs to be explained in more detail, so leaders can make a more informed decision - especially in light of the fact that the project was so hastily moved from its first proposed location at the city's parking ramp.
City leaders need to step up efforts to attract better-paying jobs to bolster our local economy. Getting people and investment downtown is a start toward that end.
But what we can't support is the council's decision to rubber-stamp this - or any other development proposal - without doing its homework.
Silverstone Partners, Inc. of Middleton wants to build a three-story, 52-unit apartment complex for people over the age of 55 in downtown Monroe, at the site of a current municipal parking lot at 16th Avenue and 8th Street.
Unfortunately, we're not totally clear if more senior housing is really what Monroe needs - although there's some anecdotal and demographic evidence that suggests that might be the case. But given the public investment, we could use a little more detail, and more time to check it out.
Tom Sather, president and CEO of Silverstone, believes there's a need for more housing for active seniors interested in being close to the city's center. In various meetings with the Common Council, he has said today's "seniors" want to be close to where the action is.
How valid is Sather's assessment of what individuals over 55 in Green County want? City leaders don't exactly know.
This developer has had the wind at his back from day one. In this economic climate, that's a rare thing. So too is the willingness of a private interest to invest $7 million in a downtown area. We applaud Silverstone for seeing that much potential in Monroe. But that doesn't mean the public doesn't have a right to more complete information.
For his part, Mayor Bill Ross said the developer has done a market study, and asserted that no business person would invest so much money without there being a market for such housing, a point reiterated Tuesday night. The mayor and others also see its potential to increase revenue to the Tax Increment District 7, which is losing money and being supported by TID 6.
But in speaking against the proposed project at that same meeting, alderman Chuck Koch said he still had questions - and had yet to receive answers.
"We have no studies we can refer to; it seems to be push, push, push" to get the project approved, Koch said.
The urgency to move ahead isn't a bad thing. It just needs to be explained in more detail, so leaders can make a more informed decision - especially in light of the fact that the project was so hastily moved from its first proposed location at the city's parking ramp.
City leaders need to step up efforts to attract better-paying jobs to bolster our local economy. Getting people and investment downtown is a start toward that end.
But what we can't support is the council's decision to rubber-stamp this - or any other development proposal - without doing its homework.
