According to the Wisconsin State Journal, after nearly a decade of discussion, the Madison City Council has passed a lease and operating agreement for the $21 million Public Market project that would reimagine the Fleet Services building on the city’s near east side. The vote, which saw no council debate, puts the initiative well past last year’s uncertainty over sufficient funding.
The project, which would create a community destination for local food vendors and artisans within the 45,000-square-foot space at 200 N. First St., will still need one more major council approval — a construction contract, which the city will need to greenlight this fall.
Last week, bids went out for a general contractor; responses are due on Sept. 7. If the contract is approved by the council, construction could start as early as December. The Public Market would then be scheduled to open in the spring of 2025.
Other council approvals related to the site and tenant improvement completions are also pending but are not as significant as the least agreement passed on Tuesday or the upcoming construction contract.
