July 11, 2013–A development team is proposing a $6 million, 111-room hotel on John Nolen Drive, another significant project near Alliant Energy Center on Madison’s South Side.
The proposal comes as Dane County prepares to upgrade some facilities at the center and a special county committee begins to explore future possibilities for the sprawling complex.
The gateway area has long been eyed by the city as ripe for investment, but development has come in fits and starts.
Nolen Hotel Investment wants to build a four-story Holiday Inn Express and Suites hotel with 116 parking spaces on a vacant, 2.7-acre site at 610 John Nolen Drive.
“We’re looking at the overall hotel market,” developer Kevin Page said. “The site has great potential close to the Beltline, Downtown and Alliant Energy Center.”
The development team — including Kothe Real Estate Partners, Landgraf Construction, Great Lakes Management and Gary Brink & Associates — was scheduled to make an informational presentation Wednesday evening to the Urban Design Commission.
The hotel would be the third directly on the gateway, joining a 237-room Sheraton Madison and a 90-room Holiday Inn Express Madison, which would change to another operator when the new Holiday Inn opened.
“I think the plan is great. The design is fine,” said Ald. John Strasser, 14th District, who represents the area.
Other significant projects coming to the area include a long-planned $34.5 million, 201-room Crowne Plaza hotel soon to be built at 2155-2205 Rimrock Road; and a five-story, mixed-use project with 80 apartments that a developer
is considering at 900 John Nolen Drive.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest,” city planner Heather Stouder said.
Strasser is co-chairman of the county’s new Alliant Energy Center Strategic Design Study Committee, which is exploring how the campus could host an entertainment district with hotels, restaurants and other attractions. He sees the proposed Holiday Inn as a positive sign.
“Any hotel that may go in there, especially this early, is a big shot in the arm and shows developers see the potential as well,” Strasser said.
The county committee just started its work and in the coming months will issue a request for proposals from consultants to evaluate and prepare a market study for the Alliant Energy Center site, he said.
The county is planning to convert and expand barns at the center into year-round, multipurpose facilities to attract more events.
“I think there’s potential for more large events there in the future,” Page said. “We want to be part of that.”
If approvals are secured, Page said he and his partners hope to begin construction in October and open the hotel in November 2014.
