Just minutes from the Beltline, ghosts of rodeos long gone by linger in the rolling hills of Fitchburg. Locals might remember the popular events, hosted by the George Holmes (tire) family, which were held between 1950 and 1989. The rodeo, which got its start in Madison’s Penn Park as a means to raise charitable dollars, later found a home on the Holmes’ family farm, near the intersection of what is now Syene Road and East Cheryl Drive.
The property, which became known as No Oaks Ranch, will soon disappear as Fitchburg transitions for future growth with a new development named Uptown.
Uptown is a 400-acre development with four current landowners: Kelly Financial, the Haight and Osborn families, and T. Wall Properties, which purchased its own slice of the Holmes property. Only Kelly’s property – which is the largest at 220 acres, including about 65 acres of wetlands – is in the development process at this time.
“Uptown is a game changer for Fitchburg,” said Mayor Shawn Pfaff. “It opens up the east side of our city under a smart growth plan with high-end retail, office, multifamily, and single-family development.”
Diamond dependability
Planning for Uptown (formerly known as Nine Springs) started a dozen years ago and has outlasted several administrations and planning activities.
“What we did right in Fitchburg was we used the tax incremental district financing correctly,” added Pfaff. “We had to amend the TID … and that’s what really gave us the financial backing to do this interchange.”
Last October, a $20 million diamond interchange was completed, cutting into U.S. Highway 14 at a rerouted Lacy Road and feeding directly into what will become Uptown. “With that interchange comes a very, very strong agreement with the developer that they’ll produce X-amount of incremental value,” added Pfaff. “We have sound financial footing with the [Fitchburg] tech campus as the anchor, but we also have the developer commitment to put in a high-quality development.
“Also, we can be patient to be sure the right kind of opportunities come because the first business that goes in there will really set the tone.”
Without a doubt, Kelly’s immediate focus is on landing a grocery store – and not just any grocery store will do. Scott Kelly and Chris Armstrong, president of Avante Properties, Kelly Financial’s development arm, were noticeably tight-lipped as to which grocer might get the nod, but it’s clear that a higher-end store is being sought to match the higher-end Uptown concept.
After 10 years of hard work, securing the TIF agreement with the city of Fitchburg was a monumental moment for Kelly, but just as noteworthy, he explained, was how the four landowners worked together in almost unprecedented fashion to zone the entire 400 acres under the new Smart Code, which he said avoids use-based conflicts so often seen elsewhere.
“The zoning creates a mix of uses,” Kelly explained. “So rather than say, residential here, this over here and this over there, which is the way our zoning has been going, this is a mixed-use zone. So long as a certain look is achieved, we can sell a lot of different uses on our site.”
“The city did a great job of visioning this,” Armstrong added. “The developers alone could not have put an interchange in, but the community stepped up. This will make Fitchburg much more desirable.”
Desirable for the general public and employees because of its easy and quick access to Madison’s downtown – it’s just a straight shot south down Park Street to the new Lacy Road exit. Desirable to retailers and businesses because 70% of the region’s population lives within 10 miles of the project (a huge selling point), and desirable to residents because the development’s new urbanist and modern design will offer hotels, entertainment, restaurants, and retail with special attention to walkability and bike accessibility.
A three-mile, multipurpose, off-road bike path connecting to the Capital City bike loop will surround the new development, and within its business district, Uptown will also be one of the first developments in the area with Cycle Tracks – one-way, off-road bike lanes that run in the direction of traffic and will be painted green.
When all is said and done – in about 15 years – Fitchburg’s new urbanist business district is expected to attract about 4,000 employees and add 2,000 new residents. Key to its design, according to the developers, is a central business district that will be intertwined with residential property in zero-lot-line, multifamily structures. “We want a project that never goes to sleep, with retail and office in the daytime and restaurants [and entertainment] at night,” added Kelly. They anticipate two hotels and possibly a movie theater as well.
Every structure in the business district will be moved up to the street to create a downtown feel. “That’s the goal,” he said. “It’s really the anti-’70s and ’80s of office parks. There won’t be any sprawling front lawns, green spaces, or lawns with fountains anymore.”
Not surprisingly, the highest density will be nearest Central Park Place, Uptown’s main street, with lesser, more flexible density and single-family homes out toward the perimeter.
The development is also located in the Oregon School District, which Pfaff believes will be a selling point. “We’ve kept them up to speed on our long-term comprehensive plan. They know that the northeastern part of Fitchburg is poised for significant plan growth that will change their school needs and commerce.”
But before any of this can happen, Uptown must attract people and investors.
It’s all about rooftops
“Housing is the trigger for all that to happen,” Armstrong said.
With roads in, Kelly/Avante’s land has been platted, and the Riva Apartments are quickly going up on the corner of Syene Road and East Cheryl Parkway. By August, about 170 units in three buildings will be completed, ranging from a one-bedroom, one-bath unit expected to rent for about $1,000 a month to a mix of two- and even some three-bedroom units as well.
Neumann Companies, the land development arm of Tim O’Brien Homes of Pewaukee, Wis., is also planning to build 27 single-family homes nearby that will run parallel to Syene Road, behind a few existing homes. It is the company’s first development project in Dane County.
“Most of the home sites will be around 6,000 to 8,000 square feet,” said president Matt Neumann, “and may range from about 1,800 to 2,500 square feet. There will be a lot of two-stories, and perhaps a few ranches. The targeted price range will probably be between $275,000 and $350,000.” Lots will be smaller, but a small park and some green space will help attract buyers.
Neumann says the homes will feature upgraded exterior amenities and aesthetics. Garages will be set back from the front elevation to keep cars out of sight. “Hopefully we can get the roads built this summer and begin construction in fall. We should have a model home and spec homes available in spring.”
Meriter Health Services has also purchased Highway 14 frontage, where it will likely erect a future clinic.
Interestingly enough, a Wisconsin & Southern rail track cuts through the development on a direct route into downtown Madison. Could some semblance of – dare we say it? – commuter rail be in Uptown’s future? In fact, that particular track may soon be reactivated to deliver freight loads into Oregon’s industrial park. “The lines are there,” Kelly said, remaining noncommittal.
As Fitchburg’s mayor, Pfaff is unabashedly excited. “We think that Uptown, centrally located, could be a destination for people to come but also a place to live. This, I believe, is one of the last best spots in Dane County,” said Pfaff, “and one of its best-kept secrets.”
Paying homage
Years ago, when Tom Holmes, George’s son, sold the large chunk of his family’s acreage to the Kelly brothers, he quietly hoped any future plans might include a small tribute to the family’s rodeo heydays.
And so it will be.
Near the site where George Holmes – as the rodeo’s master of ceremonies – once donned glitzy outfits and two six-shooters for effect, and where crowds once cheered the calf-roping cowboys, plans call for an intersection of No Oaks Ridge and Rodeo Way.
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