RECENT NEWS

 March 2009
Arbor Gate Named Top Projects of 2008 by Wisconsin Builder/The Daily Reporter

The Daily Reporter and Wisconsin Builder honored the construction industry’s Top Projects of 2008 on April 28, 2009, at the Country Springs Hotel in Pewaukee, Wis. Arbor Gate was one of six Madison project honored out of the more than 130 applicants from around the entire state of Wisconsin.

January 2009
Tenants Move Into Arbor Gate

Silver Mine Subs, Wisconsin Heart & Vascular Institute, WIPFLi, LLP and Meriter Cardiac Rehabilitation Center are among the first tenants to move into the picturesque Arbor Gate towers off Todd Drive and the West Beltline Highway shortly following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Standing tall, the sky blue office towers equal 215,000-square-feet of Class A office, retail and restaurant space. Expanding six acres, the two six-story towers are joined by glass skywalks and feature one-of-a-kind upper floor views of the UW-Madison Arboretum and Madison’s State Capitol.

Jim Butler, a partner in anchor tenant Wipfli, said the opportunity to design office space to suit its needs was a major attraction. Butler said Wipfli has designed its Arbor Gate space to serve as a recruiting tool in the era where the accounting industry has experienced labor shortages, and the central location is of prime importance in a geographically challenged community.

“It’s a disadvantage to be on one side of the town or the other, Butler stated. “This is the best location to serve both sides of Madison.”

Dawn Sovinec, CEO of Wisconsin Heart, another anchor tenant, said her company’s growth led to the search for new space. It also selected Arbor Gate for its central location, Beltline and parking convenience, and to be a part of a project that would positively impact the immediate community.

“We feel that the Arbor Gate Development has involved and engaged the community surrounding the development from its inception – the result of a developer dedicated to the community, just as our practice is,” Sovinec said. “We feel the MIG is top notch and has pulled together the interests of the community in a commendable fashion.”

The above excerpt was taken from a supplement for InBusiness magazine titled “A Gateway for Development” by Joe Vanden Plas.

October 2009
Arbor Gate offers new life to South Madison neighborhood

Supporters applaud attraction of much-needed retail services and jobs to the area.

A new day is dawning for South Madison with the development of Arbor Gate, a new $48 million mixed use development located on the Central Beltline.

“We are very excited that this project is under construction. The Arbor Gate development is a striking, well-placed complement to the $20 million road improvement project recently completed by the State DOT and the City of Madison on the one-mile stretch of the Beltline Highway between Fish Hatchery Road and Seminole Highway,” said Bradley L. Hutter, President of MIG, one of the primary developers.  MIG joined forces with Westwind Associates, owners of the Kayser Automotive Group, in 2006 to develop Arbor Gate after the State Legislature passed a law that effectively scuttled the much talked about Landmark Gate Development.

Westwind Associates President, Sean P. Baxter, echoes Hutter’s enthusiasm saying that, “Arbor Gate will rejuvenate the area by replacing aged properties with a development that is not only attractive, but will draw new business and retail to benefit surrounding residents and businesses.”

This project is one of nearly a dozen other major new construction, renovation or redevelopment initiatives along this one-mile stretch of Beltline that have been completed, are underway or are planned within the next twelve months. Baxter’s Westwind company is independently developing additional parcels to the East of the Arbor Gate site towards Coho Drive, including the former Gordon Flesch (now Don’s Home Furniture) site and the new Northern Home Fitness location.  Hutter and MIG are developing commercial sites to the west along the Beltline (including the new Allen Kitchen and Verlo Building) up through Grandview Drive.

Designed by local architecture firm, Potter Lawson, Arbor Gate represents a dramatic change in the overall landscape of Madison’s Central Beltline and the gateway of the Arbor Hills neighborhood. The development will consist of two six-story office and retail towers equaling 215,000 square feet on six acres of prime real estate located at Todd Drive and the West Beltline Highway just off the busiest stretch of highway in the state, outside of the Milwaukee Metro area.

The recent Beltline road project provided efficient and safe high–speed access to the site, both on and off the Beltline, allowing easy access for retail and convenient commuting for business employees. Arbor Gate is also the epicenter of the exciting new bike and pedestrian pathway in the area, using the “Rails to Trails” concept, including a Beltline overpass to the development that directly links to the Arboretum, Fitchburg/Harlan Hills and City of Madison routes.

The ground floor of the building will provide shopping and eateries for the surrounding community and Beltline commuters, while the remaining five floors will provide office space. The upper floors of the office towers will command a breathtaking view overlooking the UW Arboretum, the University campus and the entire Madison Isthmus.

“There are those that have said ‘there is nothing worth saving on the Beltline’,” Hutter added. “We think reinvesting in the commercial and residential neighborhoods along the Arboretum corridor is absolutely critical to the long–term vitality of Greater Madison.”

Baxter adds, “The hundreds of millions of dollars of tax base, tens of thousands of jobs and approximately one hundred thousand people that live and/or work within a few miles of this main artery deserve progressive thinking and socially-conscious action. We intend to fulfill that obligation, raise property values and bring hundreds of well-paying jobs to the area at the same time.”

The massive initiative is widely expected to attract new and significant commercial and retail services that benefit the residential neighborhood, surrounding business community, and Beltline commuters. Construction is expected to conclude in Fall 2008.

The project prevailed notwithstanding the challenges presented by the restrictions imposed by the new redevelopment legislation.  Much of the success of Arbor Gate is attributed to a rare approach to public/private development that joined the forces of MIG and Westwind with the State Department of Transportation and the City of Madison.  Developers hope that it will serve as a successful model for other projects across the state.

"The Arbor Gate development is a major step forward in the revitalization and economic development of Madison's south side," said Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. "This project is a catalyst that will create jobs, bring retail options to the neighborhood and build our economy. The development team is to be congratulated for their hard work and perseverance in making this day possible."

“Putting together this project was a complex process, perhaps the first of its type in Wisconsin,” Hutter said.  He added that Arbor Gate involves two local families with private capital, two large banking institutions, as well as financial support and involvement at the City of Madison, State and Federal levels. The extensive land acquisition and resulting business relocation was made possible through extraordinary residential neighborhood and local political support. 

For more information about Arbor Gate, please call MIG at (608) 509-1000 or e-mail them at info@migllc.biz.

MORE NEWS

 12/30/2008 - forte:Silver Mine Location  (PDF Version)
http://www.fortemadison.com/work/article?id=146

12/25/2008 - Wisconsin State Journal: Wipfli Helps Fill Arbor Gate (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php ref=/wsj/2008/12/25/0812260011.php

2008 - In Business Magazine Feature - (PDF Version)

3/27/2008 - Wisconsin State Journal: Potter Lawson Has Hand in Buildings Past, Present (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2008/03/27/0803270001.php

2/1/2008 - Wisconsin State Journal: Wipfli Cpas to Locate At New Arbor Gate (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2008/02/01/0801300182.php

12/15/2007 - Wisconsin State Journal: Accounting Firm to be Arbor Gate Tenant (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/12/15/0712150009.php

12/14/2007 - The Capital Times: Wipfli to Move to Todd Dr. Space (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/12/14/0712140252.php

11/1/2007 - Wisconsin State Journal: Teaching People About Technology (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/11/01/0710260202.php

11/1/2007 - Wisconsin State Journal: Arbor Gate (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/11/01/0710260203.php

10/28/2007 - Wisconsin State Journal:Wisconsin Heart is First to Sign Lease (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/10/18/0710180209.php

10/18/2007 - The Capital Times: Local Heart Institute Moving to Arbor Gate (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/10/18/0710180328.php

9/20/2007 - Wisconsin State Journal: Todd Drive Project Starts (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/09/20/0709200186.php

7/10/2009 - The Capital Times: Todd Drive Renewal Advances (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/07/10/0707100228.php

5/8/2007 - The Capital Times: A New Arbor Gate (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/05/08/0705080319.php

2/21/2007 - Wisconsin State Journal: Plan Panel Approves Razing a Building Near Todd Drive (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2007/02/21/0702200494.php

2/20/2007 - The Capital Times: Arbor Gate Gets Boost (PDF Version)
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/02/20/0702200286.php