DRAFT MADISON SUSTAINABILITY COMMERCE CENTER (MSCC) FEASBILITY STUDY RELEASED

PUBLIC PRESENTATION SCHEDULED FOR 6:30 PM, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013, THE BRINK LOUNGE, 701 E. WASHINGTON AVENUE

The City of Madison has released a draft of the Madison Sustainability Commerce Center Feasibility Study (MSCC). The study is available within the "Sustainability Center" section of www.capitoleastdistrict.com. The consultant team hired by the City to complete this study will present a final version of the document to the public at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, February 12, 2013. The presentation will be at The Brink Lounge, located at 701 E. Washington Avenue. Targeted for the Capitol East District along E. Washington Avenue between Blair and First Streets, MSCC is envisioned to be a privately developed, 75,000 square foot building housing leading-edge green and sustainability-oriented businesses. The building itself would be a showcase of green building technologies. Dorschner|Associates Inc. led the consultant team completing the study, which included Baker Tilly, CBRE, Energy Center of Wisconsin, Farr Associates, Findorff, Sustainable Engineering Group, and Sustainable Resource Group. Dorschner|Associates Inc. President, Diana Dorschner, notes that "the Study highlights the opportunities that exist for this type of a Center within the Capitol East District, along with providing an honest presentation of remaining questions that need to be answered." Funding for the study comes from a $300,000 grant received by the City through the Capital Region Sustainable Communities (CRSC) initiative. CRSC is funded by the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning (SCRP) Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC) was the grant applicant and serves as the lead agency. The preparation of the Feasibility Study, which used just over half of the grant funding, is the first use of these funds. The Feasibility Study presents information about the types of tenants that may be interested in locating within the MSCC, explores building technologies and design considerations, and presents a detailed Financial analysis of the construction and operation of an MSCC. Over the next several weeks, City officials will use this Study as a guide for determining how the City should proceed with the project. Likely next steps include additional tenant outreach, exploring possible locations and partnership opportunities with private developers, and completing additional design work. Mayor Paul R. Soglin notes that the Study "provides the City with a solid examination of the Madison Sustainability Commerce Center concept, which puts us in a much better position to have discussions about this project with potential tenants and developers." While the City moves forward with the next steps of MSCC planning, businesses interested in potentially locating within the MSCC are encouraged to complete a short survey to provide City staff with information about their interest. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PJJMCL8. Additional information about the MSCC, to include future project updates, is available through the "Sustainability Center" section of www.capitoleastdistrict.com. Information about Capital Region Sustainable Communities can be found at www.CapitalRegionSCRPG.org.