2003 Madison Mayors’ Race:
The Role of Historic Preservation
Bert Zipperer
1 · I greatly value Madison’s historic
heritage because I’ve experienced firsthand the loss of historic treasures. I
grew up in Manitowoc County and witnessed the destruction of the magnificent Manitowoc
Opera House which was replaced by a parking lot and later a Kwik Trip. In my small
childhood hometown of Brillion, the old railroad hotel, built like a castle, was
replaced by a parking lot; a church which was over 100 years old was recently
demolished, and a complete block of downtown Main Street was "revitalized" and
replaced by a strip mall.
Historic preservation means protecting and
enhancing the historic heritage of our downtown neighborhoods, not just stopping
demolitions. During my three terms as the 6th District Alderperson, I prevented
the demolition of three different buildings (on Butler Street, Williamson Street,
and Clemons Avenue). I also sponsored the formation of the Marquette Neighborhood’s
newest historic district, the Bungalow District.
How do we balance the demands for redevelopment
and increased density on the isthmus? I support a moderate increase in density
on the isthmus, but it should not come at the expense of the historic character
of our neighborhoods. Real estate developers must be held accountable to the community.
Their profits must not come at the expense of the vitality and livability of our
neighborhoods. Private property carries with it a public responsibility.
The city has an obligation to assertively
protect and enhance our historic downtown neighborhoods. We need to review our
historic district ordinances to make sure they are adequate to protect both the
plain and the beautiful old buildings downtown. We need to implement strategies
to protect our stock of historic buildings and open spaces. These strategies may
include preservation easements, preservation density bonuses, and transfer of
development rights, as well as improved zoning protections and urban design requirements.
The Mayor’s appointments of representatives
on the appropriate City oversight committees (Landmarks, Plan, Zoning, Urban Design,
and others) is crucial to ensure a dynamic and well-informed committee membership
which proactively addresses these issues.
2 · Madison should encourage the owner-occupancy of historic buildings
downtown. The City of Madison must take a more active role to keep from losing
our historic older homes. I have long advocated a variety of housing options,
like the Madison Community Land Trust, resident housing co-operatives, and other
nonprofit alternatives to create affordable housing.
We need more neighborhood-controlled, nonprofit
developers like Common Wealth Development, which has rehabbed countless older
properties. These alternatives could also preserve historic integrity with ownership
structures beyond the traditional single family homeowner model. The City can
be a partner in encouraging and supporting these as viable options. The City must
also explore all of its options to preserve, protect and enhance our historic
heritage from the destructive effects of unbalanced real estate markets.
If we allow the speculators to drive up property
values based on notions of "higher and better use" and drive out homeowners who
cannot afford their property taxes, we have lost the fight for preservation and
for affordable housing. The City must take whatever steps are available to us
to ensure that the "high-rise value" of the land is not determining the value
of a two- or three-story brick frame home. An ownership model like the Community
Land Trust model seems like it would be helpful here, as the value of the land
is held by the organization and the value of the structure is held by the homeowner.
Lastly, I will continue to advocate for tax
fairness and reforms in local taxing authority. I know this takes state authorization,
but there are many models of progressive taxation which would allow the ability-to-pay
to be factored in to the tax levied. Property taxes could be indexed to household
income, local income taxes could carry more of the burden, commuter taxes and
other types of "job taxes" could allow non-city residents to contribute to the
city where their job is located, a guaranteed state Shared Revenue system could
spread out the tax burden statewide, etc.
3 · I believe all owners and agents of rental properties need to be
registered with the City of Madison on an annual basis. This would allow the City
to know who is in charge of each property and it would mean we could easily educate
all landlords about city requirements. Amazingly there is no such listing today.
Rental properties are not listed in any systematic fashion, except for very large
buildings. The apartment owners association and real estate organizations have
vigorously resisted this common-sense step.
Rental properties need to be inspected on
a regular basis. Backyard parking should be eliminated or greatly reduced. Backyards
should not be used for commuter parking, period. Greenspace requirements in backyards
must be enhanced, expanded, and enforced. Our downtown neighborhoods should be
communities. We cannot have communities when properties are owned by absentee
landlords and managed by for-profit management companies who have no regard for
the effects of their actions (or lack of action) on the neighborhood. It only
takes a few of these properties to create an "undesirable" neighborhood environment.
Many landlords do high-quality property maintenance
and they should be commended. The few landlords who are problems must be dealt
with in order to protect and enhance our community for all our members.
4 · Historic plaques, maps, and other public displays which highlight
our history greatly enhance our city. These should be located throughout our community.
If we don’t know our history, how will we appreciate our history? And if we don’t
appreciate our history, how can we defend and preserve our historic legacies?
The City should partner with neighborhood
associations and groups like the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation to publish
and update historic guides for neighborhoods. Traveling displays could be exhibited
at various businesses, or permanently displayed as a neighborhood history presentation
in our libraries, community centers, parks and schools. The information should
include our geologic and environmental history, as well as a Native American history
of our area, since this land was legally "owned" by the Ho Chunk people as recently
as 170 years ago. With a higher visibility given to history, I believe it will
be easier for neighborhood activists and preservationists to pressure the City
to comply with the ordinance requiring City funding of historic plaques.
5 · State Street is absolutely critical to the health and vitality of
our city and contributes to our sense of place. The variety of ownership along
State Street has helped to preserve the diversity, character, and health of the
street.
But now we have major economic players entering
State Street. Overture is the first to own an entire block and we are already
hearing reports that small business owners are faced with increasing rents as
property values skyrocket. Now the 100 block of State Street is the target of
one ownership group. We cannot allow any part of this block to be demolished and
turned into high rises and a parking ramp.
State Street can be protected if we pursue
nomination of the street as a local, state and federal historic district. We should
encourage improved zoning requirements so that properties cannot be assembled
to create larger projects. Keeping storefronts small will help the small, independent
businesses afford to stay on the street. A concerted effort, by the City and in
partnership with various neighborhood and civic organizations interested in protecting
State Street, will be crucial to this process. There is no greater force than
a mobilized and energized constituency in the determination of city policy.
The Mayor must lead and not simply talk. We
must ensure that major economic players alone don’t determine State Street’s future.
As Jane Jacobs states in her classic 1961
book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities:
"Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous
streets and districts to grow without them. By old buildings I mean not museum-piece
old buildings, not old buildings in an excellent and expensive state of rehabilitation—although
these make fine ingredients—but also a good lot of plain, ordinary, low-value
old buildings, including some rundown old buildings. If a city area has only new
buildings, the enterprises that can exist there are automatically limited to those
that can support the high costs of new construction.
"To support such high overheads, the enterprises
must be either (a) high profit or (b) well subsidized.
"Well-subsidized opera and art museums often
go into new buildings. But the unformalized feeders of the arts—studios,
galleries, stores for musical instruments and art supplies, backrooms where the
low earning power of a seat and a table can absorb uneconomic discussions—these
go into old buildings. Perhaps more significant, hundreds of ordinary enterprises,
necessary to the safety and public life of streets and neighborhoods, and appreciated
for their convenience and personal quality, can make out successfully in old buildings,
but are inexorably slain by the high overhead of new construction.
"Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings.
New ideas must use old buildings." (pp. 187–188)
I believe we must keep these words in mind as we take actions regarding State Street.
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