Gebhardt Development is asking for as much as $5.4 million in city support for a proposed 14-story mixed-use project on East Washington Avenue. A $4 million TIF loan would cover the building’s financing gap, while an optional and additional TIF request of $1.4 million would cover a rooftop farm and concrete-enclosed biodigester at the site.
It’s the first time the city would consider using TIF loans for sustainability elements.
Gebhardt envisions an 8,000-sq.-ft. rooftop garden that would produce fruits and vegetables that could be sold at the project’s Festival Foods grocery store. The garden would be operated by UW-Madison’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The biodigester, about the size of a semi-trailer, would convert organic waste generated by the grocery store and apartments to gas to be used for energy for the project.
