Minor Alteration to the Lamp House Report to Allow for More (Affordable) Housing Development

Minor Alteration to the Lamp House Report to Allow for More (Affordable) Housing Development

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Dear friends and neighbors,

I want to start this post off with an acknowledgement that I understand times are tough right now. It feels like the world is going to heck with the new Trump presidency and all the uncertainty that we must all grapple with at this time. This uncertainty has spurred new levels of fear amongst the general American public. It’s not an amazing answer, but during this time of fear and uncertainty, I hope that we can remember to grab hold of each other, tap into local networks, and keep each other safe.

With that acknowledgement, I’d like to speak with you about the Lamp House report. Last week, I introduced a resolution that makes minor alterations to the Lamp House report. In this blog, I will provide a brief overview of the Lamp House and explain my amendment and the reasoning supporting these changes.

What is the Lamp House?

Many that live downtown and throughout the city may be unaware of this hidden treasure called the Robert M. Lamp House (the “Lamp House”), located just off of East Mifflin and North Butler St. Constructed in 1903, the Lamp House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his friend Robert M. Lamp. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is locally designated as a landmark.

What is the issue?

In 2014, the Madison Common Council accepted and implemented some of the recommendations from the Lamp House Block Ad Hoc Committee. This committee included eight members and held seven public meetings. In the end, they produced a report with recommendations.

The committee believed that it was important to preserve the view of the Lamp House both from the outside looking into the Lamp House and from inside the Lamp House looking out onto the lakes. In doing so, this recommendation preserves the view of the lake from their house for someone that has been dead for decades. This preservation of views impacts at least 437 parcels of land that could be used for much needed affordable housing development in a key part of our city. I wish there was a more kind way to say this, but this specific recommendation from the report is one of the worst land uses in the city.

One of the worst land uses in the city.

The image above shows all the parcels that are impacted from the Lamp House report recommendations. As you can see this is a significant portion of downtown Madison. This report essentially eliminates the opportunity to redevelop housing, much of which is blighted, in an area that is steps away from the capitol, near a plethora of city services, just to preserve the view of the lake for a man that has been dead for decades.

One development opportunity that I find to be significant is the Capitol North garage. The Capitol North garage presents a development opportunity much like other affordable housing developments that we have seen in recent years. I don’t believe we should be limiting hundreds of units of housing, including affordable housing, to preserve the view of a man that has been dead for decades.

Rectifying the Ad Hoc Committee Report

My resolution would rectify this unfortunate land use policy to continue to preserve the Lamp House, while allowing housing, including affordable housing, to be built in its surrounding area.

One of the things driving me to make this change is my constituents. There are a couple of testimonials from my constituents that I hope folks can take under consideration with this report.

First, in 2022, unlike anyone that was on the Lamp House Block Ad Hoc Committee, city staff, I actually visited and went inside the Lamp House. Through some connections with friends, I am mutual friends with some students that lived at the Lamp House the past couple of years. Touring the Lamp House and seeing the ever-precious views of the lakes from the Lamp House was quite interesting. However, the residents themselves noted that while they appreciate the views their priority is having safe, decent affordable housing. They would not want to curtail the development of affordable housing just to preserve the views.

Second, I spoke with several residents in the buildings surrounding the Lamp House. These residents were regular, working class people like many of us. None of them were even aware of the Lamp House. One such resident includes an older woman who has lived directly next to the Lamp House for 18 years. Even after 18 years, this woman had no idea of the Lamp House’s existence. I literally had to physically point out the Lamp House to her for her to notice the landmark. This same woman is looking to move herself and her grandchild to an affordable housing development in the near future. Why are we denying her and many others the opportunity for affordable housing to preserve the view of a man that has been dead for several decades?

I would like for us to reimagine what redevelopment and historic preservation can look like. I believe that we can redevelop this area in a way that both preserves the Lamp House and allows for housing development. I believe that we can redevelop the parcels adjacent to the Lamp House in a way that brings new users to this historic landmark. My resolution helps realize this vision. For these reasons, I am proud to sponsor this resolution and hope that it passes Council.