Urban Design Commission approves Wilson Street apartment building

Madison’s Urban Design Commission unanimously approved plans for a 14-story apartment building at 149 E. Wilson St. The McGrath Property Group’s mixed-use project would replace a long-vacant former state Department of Corrections office building and include 127 apartments, first-floor retail, and 129 underground parking spaces. If it moves through the approval process, the building would rise up between two established condo towers, the Marina and Union Transfer. Neighbors from those developments have argued against the structure, concerned they will lose their views and possibly property value. The issue now moves on to the Plan Commission.