Work on Baraboo’s Ringling Riverfront development is moving forward, two planning consultants said Thursday. But there are still issues to be worked out.
E. Scott Harrington and Jeff Maloney of the Madison-based planning firm Vandewalle & Associates reviewed progress on the city’s efforts for redeveloping the Baraboo River corridor between Water and Lynn streets with members of the City Council and Baraboo Economic Development Commission. Members of the Community Development Authority, Baraboo Plan Commission and about 15 interested residents also attended the meeting.
Maloney reminded the group the city approved plans to redevelop the riverfront area in 2006. Major elements of the project include clean up and re-development of the Alliant Energy offices and pole yard on Vine Street and moving the Veolia garbage transfer station from its site.
"The riverfront is a neglected area and really one the citizens wanted to see some attention to," he said. "You’ve got the Circus World Museum down there. There’s some really great historic buildings and it needed some attention to match your, what I think is quite amazing downtown.
"It’s one of the most historic intact downtowns in this state," Maloney said.
Baraboo has so far received about $1.2 million in state and federal grants for work such as assessing the level of environmental contamination in former industrial areas along the Baraboo River and cleaning them up, he said. There was also a $2 million grant from the state Department of Commerce for issues such as acquiring property for re-development.
The plan calls for residential development that draws on people’s enjoyment of natural beauty and mixed-use retail and commercial businesses, he said. That would be mixed with a riverwalk, parks and green space to encourage recreational use. It also should be connected with and complimentary to Baraboo’s downtown,
"I think there’s opportunities for restaurants and things to open next to the river," Maloney said. "We talked about having employment on the upper stories of buildings, employment as stand-alone buildings."
Harrington said one thing that has not been done is to put the river corridor plan into city ordinances, which would make it mandatory for future developers. The City Council considered doing that but delayed the decision.
"This is another area that may need some discussion," he said. "But from my perspective the plan implementation is not suffering from a statutory implementation plan.
Harrington said the city has created design guidelines for how buildings in the Ringling Riverfront area should look, but does not have a sure way to enforce them.
"Your ability to enforce the guidelines may really be tested if somebody is really out to do their own thing," he said.
Harrington said Alliant is expected to move out of their riverfront office building in the next few weeks.
"Purchasing that site, getting that kind of use, outdoor storage of (electrical) poles off the riverfront, dealing with the environmental issues, making that ready for redevelopment, that’s a huge step forward," he said. "It was a big undertaking on your part."
The Middleton-based development firm SARA Investment Real Estate is working to finalize a plan to move the transfer station and replace it with a more compatible use, Harrington said. "I think we’ll see some movement on that in a fairly short time," he said.
Also, the owner of the NAPA auto parts store at Broadway and Water Street won city approval for an extensive remodeling of his building to make it an appealing part of the Ringling Riverfront. Harrington also noted the proposed retail and office development on the former River Stop and canoe outfitters site at Lynn and Broadway which could be an appealing addition to the river corridor.
Harrington said Baraboo’s development efforts are becoming a "model" for other communities.
During public discussion, aldermen Olaf Kivioja and Eugene Robkin raised concerns they have heard from citizens about proposals for buildings that are too tall for the area or which block the public’s view of the river.
Kivioja noted that both Water and Lynn streets have three-way intersections at Broadway, where a large increase in traffic volume could create problems. He did not like the plans which show buildings up to three stories high along the river.
Robkin reiterated his questions about the proposed office building at Lynn and Broadway, which he said reached five stories high if an attic area for HVAC equipment and a clock tower were included.
"This building captures what I see as a critical view for people coming under the (railroad) viaduct and entering the city," he said. "I would like them to get a panoramic view down this river. That’s a critical view if people are going to say, there’s something here in Baraboo, we’re going to stop."
BEDC member Mike Palm encouraged people to be practical in their ideas about riverfront redevelopment. He noted a developer might choose a three-story rather than a two-story building because they need a particular amount of floor space for the project to be profitable.
"A balance needs to be thought about," he said.
Baraboo’s Ringling Riverfront redevelopment plan is available online at the City of Baraboo Web site — http://www.cityofbaraboo.com, follow the link for "Economic Development." at the top of the page.
