Edgewater Proposal -- No Bait & Switch!

Text of an email I sent this evening to Landmarks Commission Chair Dan Stephans:
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Dan

I have reviewed the Edgewater Redevelopment informational package several times, and am forced to conclude, to my dismay, that it contains no elevations showing either the view from the Capitol, or the proposed project in context to the other properties in the Mansion Hill Historic District. That is, while there are detailed descriptions of matters under the jurisdiction of the Plan Commission and Urban Design Commission, there is very little, if any, information to help the Landmarks Commission fulfill its mandate. Given the amount of time and money the development team has spent to date, I cannot believe this omission from its submission is inadvertent – especially since the cover illustration is from a perspective (250 feet above Lake Mendota ) that no human is likely to ever experience. It seems to me the development team has deliberately declined to provide the precise visual and textual data we will need to evaluate the proposal, choosing instead to offer a cheerful narrative and out-of-context illustrations about public policy issues that have nothing to do with our responsibilities – apparently on the assumption that if we buy into the end product (Greater public access to the lake! Improved tax base!), we will be less vigilant in preserving and protecting the Mansion Hill Historic District.

I refuse to participate in such a bait-and-switch. Accordingly, this is to inform you of my plans for tomorrow’s meeting. At the start of the Landmark X presentation, I will ask if the necessary and relevant elevations are available; if they are, I am sure we will have an interesting and productive exchange. However, if elevations showing the view from the Capitol and the relationship of the development proposal to the rest of the Mansion Hill Historic District are not available at our meeting tomorrow, I will move to refer the matter to such time as they are available. If that is the case, I hope the Commission will agree to such a referral; however, if it does not, I intend to leave the meeting rather than participate in such a misleading exercise.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. To avoid violations of the Open Meetings Law, other Commissioners should NOT reply via Reply All.

See you tomorrow,

Stu