$300 million Triangle redevelopment will introduce 1,200 homes in downtown Madison

Madison has launched a neighborhood redevelopment with “deeply affordable” homes for residents of city-owned property in the Triangle neighborhood.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, the city of Madison and the Community Development Authority on Wednesday celebrated the start of the first phase of construction of the “Taking Shape, Our Triangle” redevelopment in downtown Madison.

“From our smallest towns and villages and our state’s largest cities, affordable housing is the number one issue I hear most about across the state,” Gov. Tony Evers said at a news conference.

The CDA and Madison-based developer New Year Investments are leading the transformation of the Triangle neighborhood, bordered by West Washington Avenue, South Park Street and Regent Street.
Over the next decade, five CDA properties in the Triangle will be replaced with eight new buildings across four sites.

All five project phases are estimated to cost more than $300 million, said Jaymes Langrehr, public information officer for the city Dept. of Planning, Community & Economic Development. The first phase will cost around $73 million, he added.

Up to 1,200 homes will be built at a 10.5-acre site, replacing deteriorating CDA properties built between 1965 and 1978, city officials said. Demolition will occur only after residents move into their new homes, officials added.

The project will also bring hundreds of additional homes for people with different income levels. In 2023, the median household income of Dane County residents was $84,190, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis showed.

The first phase will replace Brittingham Apartments with Building B1, which will have 164 new homes and CDA offices, officials said. It will meet Enterprise Green Communities standards with energy-saving features, including the city’s largest residential geothermal system, officials added.

The project team includes New Year Investments, Potter Lawson and Madison-based Krupp General Contractors. The city of Madison, CDA and the rest of the team planned the project for several years.

Over the past three years CDA and New Year Investments held more than 50 community feedback events and asked current residents what they would like in the development plan, officials said.

The Triangle will have underground parking and pedestrian- and bike-friendly features to connect residents with the rest of the city, officials said. Plans include an extension of East Campus Mall to Brittingham Park, which will create a direct path from Lake Mendota to Lake Monona.

Additional design, planning and engineering partners include EQT by Design, Baker Tilly, Saiki Design, Vierbicher, Design Engineers and Slipstream.