A letter to the UW Board of Regents from a lobbyist organization for Madison-area landlords and property owners sought to stall UW–Madison’s effort to construct a new residence hall, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The university is working with the UW system to obtain state approval and funding for a residence hall with 2,000 beds and a projected $293 million price tag.
The Aug. 20 letter from the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin urged Regent President Amy Blumenfeld Bogost to delay consideration of UW’s building recommendations, asserting that UW–Madison prematurely determined its need for another residence hall before a recent housing study conducted by the university and the city of Madison was complete. The letter also criticizes the survey itself.
The regents nevertheless unanimously approved UW’s $1.7 billion building plan, which includes the residence hall but gives priority to moving academic departments out of the aging Mosse Humanities Building to allow for its demolition.
