By Mike Ivey
FITCHBURG
- The new Town Center has been billed as this city's "signature
project." Given the attention to detail it's hard to argue with that
assessment.
With its clay tile roofing, cut limestone
terraces, cedar siding and copper accents, it's clear the developers
have spared no expense. A $22 million price tag - the most expensive
single commercial real estate project in Dane County this year -
suggests as much.
"We wanted to build something that would stand
the test of time," said Steve Leverentz, marketing director for the
Fitchburg Center, the 400-acre office park off Fish Hatchery Road. "The
tile roof alone could easily last 80 years."
Scheduled for
completion in mid-November, the 84,000 square-foot Town Center sits
smack in the middle of the Fitchburg Center. Once known as the
Fitchburg Research Park, the center is home to several of the area's
most prominent high tech companies including biotech leader Promega
Corp., Berbee Information Networks and Bruker AXS, a medical
instruments firm.
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MIKE DeVRIES/THE CAPITAL TIMES
Work
is progressing on the new Fitchburg Town Center, a $22 million
mixed-use retail and office complex that will provide space for Promega
Corp. employees. Scheduled for occupancy in mid-November, the building
is designed around a natural prairie that will capture and filter storm
water runoff from the site.
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In
fact, Promega will be occupying some 62,000 square feet of office space
in the new Town Center. That's appropriate considering Promega founder
and president Bill Linton is the main partner in IrionSeven, the LLC
developing the project. M&I Bank is providing the financing, with
Kraemer Brothers as general contractor and Strang Inc. the engineer.
The
building features numerous environmental highlights, including a storm
water collection system to funnel runoff into an adjacent prairie
designed by Yakshi Landscape & Garden Design of Madison. With a
variety of blooming plants and flowers, the prairie isn't only pleasing
to the eye. It also provides a natural filtering process for the water
flowing through it.
Perhaps the major highlight from a
sustainability standpoint is the parking, which is provided in a
240-space underground structure. Hiding the parking underneath not only
eliminated a sea of asphalt but will save space for future development
in the park, Leverentz said.
The city of Fitchburg has chipped in
with some $2 million in tax increment financing for the parking
structure, an outlay that city planner Tom Hovel said fits with the
community's vision.
"We looked at it as an investment," said
Hovel. "It's not only more aesthetically pleasing but much wiser land
use. Plus, they would have had to pave over the prairie."
In a
suburb often criticized for its auto-centered development patterns -
including a Super Target store slated to open next year on County PD -
Fitchburg is actually seeing more use of structured parking. Other
buildings in the research park featuring underground parking include
the Credit Union Executives Society and the Don & Marilyn Anderson
HospiceCare Center. The Stark Company Realtors headquarters at Seminole
Highway and County PD also has underground parking.
"With structured parking, you get more density," said Hovel.
Parking
issues aside, visitors to the new Town Center will note a pair of stone
turrets that serve the dual purpose of hiding the building's mechanical
systems while creating a focal point for the two-story office project.
The
bottom floor of the Town Center is designed as retail space, with
Kneaded Relief Day Spa already signed on to relocate from its 651 S.
Park St. location in early 2007. Other tenants booked include Aveda
Concepts Salon and a locally-owned coffee shop.
"We've been
getting a fair amount of calls without doing any advertising," said
Leverentz, adding that he'd like to add a clothing boutique and a fine
dining restaurant to the mix.
Compared to other business parks,
the Fitchburg Center has developed at a relatively slow pace. That's
due in part to the rigorous design standards of center owners Linton
and the late Finnish scientist Johan Bjorksten, an early investor in
the park. The family heirs remain involved as partners in the
development, which will boast over 2,000 employees once the Town Center
is occupied.
Leverentz said the underlying philosophy remains
rooted in quality design with protection and even enhancement of the
natural environment.
"It's about more than just what is happening
today," he said. "There is a certain timelessness in building something
of quality."
There's a community aspect to the Fitchburg Center, as well.
In
addition to the high tech offices, the center includes the Woods Hollow
child care center, HospiceCare and the Fitchburg community center,
along with the Agora pavilion, a covered outdoor public space that
hosts the Fitchburg farmers' market. Underground parking for the Town
Center will be available to the public during non-business hours.
Maybe
the only thing missing, Leverentz said, is a large residential
component. But he said that will likely be coming sometime in the
future.
"The main thing is to make sure we get the right mix," he said.
E-mail: mivey@madison.com
Published: September 14, 2006
