Tommy Washbush
The entrance to Neighborhood House Community Center at 29 S. Mills St.
Neighborhood House, in the heart of Greenbush, is considered the oldest community center in Madison.
Neighborhood House Community Center and The Alexander Company have parted ways on a project to redevelop the center into a multi-story, mixed-use building with a community center and apartment units, some earmarked as affordable units.
In response to a query from Isthmus, Kendra Bishop, director of business development for The Alexander Company, confirmed in a statement, prepared in partnership with the center, that her firm would no longer be the developer on the project.
“As the organizations reflect on the process and the evolving needs of their missions, they have decided to conclude this phase of collaboration,” the statement reads. “While redevelopment at this site will not move forward in its previously envisioned form, both organizations are proud of the work completed and deeply grateful to those who lent their time, support, and energy to the process.”
The statement does not identify the reason for the end of the collaboration and Bishop declined to comment on why the partnership ended.
The redevelopment project, at 29 S. Mills St., had support from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, the city of Madison and Dane County. The center was actively fundraising for the project.
The roughly $29 million project would have demolished the current, one-story facility and redeveloped the building into five floors, with a new community center on the first and multi-unit housing on the other four.
The center, in a now archived web page, had celebrated the inclusion of affordable housing in the project: “We are proud to include that affordable housing will also be an integral part of this development, ensuring that individuals and families can thrive in a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
Established in 1916, Neighborhood House provides a food pantry, community meals and produce to hundreds of people each week. The center also offers free after-school care for children of all ages and a range of community events.
Sam Brown, president of the board of Neighborhood House, said in the statement that the process thus far “offered valuable insights into the needs and priorities of our community” and that the board remains “committed to investing in our existing community center and in the families we serve every day."
Joseph Alexander, president of The Alexander Company, said his firm continued to believe “deeply” in the importance of expanding access to affordable housing in Madison. “Though this particular effort is not moving forward, we remain steadfast in our mission to create more affordable housing opportunities in our community."
