On a 17–2 vote the Madison City Council approved a controversial plan for the 800 Block of East Washington Avenue that will add a 2,500-person music venue, as well as new office space and a 600-space parking ramp.
Despite complaints that a music venue of that size would negatively affect other entertainment venues in town, the council approved plans from Frank Productions, Gebhardt Development, and American Family Insurance for the block’s renovation.
AmFam will build the Spark building, offering 200,000 square feet of office space, including StartingBlock, an entrepreneurial hub. Gebhardt’s Cosmos building will offer 60,000 square feet of office space, as well as the music hall that would be operated separately by Frank Productions.
The city’s Capitol East Garage would complete the block and be available to the public primarily on weeknights and weekends. Land use approvals are still needed, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
