Mai Kommavang in her sunlit apartment in the Bayview Foundation's new four-story building at the corner of West Washington Avenue and Regent Street. The building is the first phase of the foundation's $54 million redevelopment of housing and a community center on part of "the Triangle" Downtown.
AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
On a crisp late November day, sunlight streams through the windows in Mai Kommavang’s spacious new apartment that’s part of the first phase of a $54 million redevelopment of a diverse, international, low-income community Downtown.
Kommavang was among the first to move from one of the Bayview Foundation’s 102 now-obsolete townhouses built in 1971 to an unmistakable, orangey-red, four-story building with 48 units and top-floor community room at the corner of West Washington Avenue and Regent Street, each unit featuring high ceilings, open floor plans, ample windows, new appliances and more.
“It’s much better,” Kommavang said of her new home, where vibrant garments of her native Laos hang in closets and racks, and personal effects from the homeland she left in 1981 grace the walls.
After years of resident engagement and planning, the nonprofit Bayview Foundation moved residents from 48 worn townhouses to the 48 apartments at 720 W. Washington Ave. over 16 days in September, a stressful but ultimately satisfying transition.
Already, since the move, heavy construction equipment has razed the southern part of the 4.6-acre site on part of the city known as “the Triangle” and begun construction on the second phase of the project, which includes a 25-unit apartment building, six-unit and seven-unit townhouses, and a new 11,500-square-foot community center that will be completed in the fall of 2023. A third phase with another 44 townhouses will be finished in the late summer of 2024.
The idea is to move current residents into new buildings as they’re built and then demolish the older ones.
“It’s very gratifying to finally see the finished building and to see residents settling into their new homes,” said Alexis London, the foundation’s executive director. “We’ve been working on this project for more than seven years now, and many of the components we only dreamed would have a positive impact are, indeed, having the intended outcome.”
“The progress to date is really quite amazing,” said Ald. Tag Evers, 13th District. “We have this colorful new building at the corner of Regent and West Wash that really stands out as appearing completely different than most new buildings going up in Madison.”
The project is far more than just new housing units.
Lively vision
The redevelopment, a joint project by Bayview and Horizon Development Group, will be bursting with color and public art and emphasizes environmental sustainability. A large mural, for example, will be placed on one portion of the wall of Kommavang’s building facing Regent Street.
One-bedroom units will allow more seniors to stay in the neighborhood, and the population density will increase 80% from 277 to 500 residents by the end of 2024. The new community center will be expanded from 5,000 square feet now to 11,500 square feet, enabling it to serve 8,000 people annually, up from 5,000 today.
The grounds will offer a full-size basketball court, playground, community gardens, a grassy common area, pavilion and other gathering spaces. The current layout, physically turned inward, will offer views to the state Capitol and the water and far better connect with the surrounding area.
“It’s going to be stunningly beautiful,” London said.
Meanwhile, the city’s Community Development Authority is offering an ambitious, perhaps $200 million, vision to fully redevelop housing for low-income residents and add many more units on an adjacent 10.5-acre piece of the Triangle, with construction starting as soon as late 2024.
“It’s worth noting that the comprehensive CDA redevelopment project next door helmed by New Year Investments is emulating Bayview’s paramount emphasis on resident input,” Evers said.
Stressful move
The Bayview Foundation was formed in 1966 to support culturally diverse, low-income families, many of them immigrant refugees from Southeast Asia.
Bayview’s 102 townhouses built in 1971 and the community center, constructed in 1985, offer a rare oasis of low-cost housing in Madison. But the units are cramped, worn and inaccessible to seniors or those with disabilities, while the colorful, much-used community center is unable to provide many of the services residents want.
Josephine Lukindo, whose father emigrated from Tanzania and whose mother is from Chicago, was raised at Bayview, still lives there with her mother and sister, and is now a receptionist at the community center with plans to return to school and pursue a career in business management now that she has room for a desk and place to study.
“Everybody knows everybody,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of people who feel like family.”
The initial new building is a striking symbol of change to come, although the initial move has been difficult.
“These weren’t just moves,” said Diane Eddings, Bayview’s housing manager. “There were many emotions involved in this process. I remember asking a long-term resident how she was feeling abut the move. She said, ‘not good.’ I assumed she was behind in packing and asked about it. She said, ‘No, it’s not the packing, it’s here (as she placed her hand on her heart). I’ve lived here for 37 years. I’m worried about the move.’”
The stress, Lukindo said, was at least partly generational.
“We haven’t had change all these years,” she said. “For a lot of elders, it was a little iffy. The young people are happy about it.”
“It was a lot of mixed emotions. It was very intense,” said Xong Vang, who has long lived at Bayview and now helps his father there and serves as a housing coordinator. “There are generations of families. There is a lot of rich history here.”
Modern feel
The new building, especially compared to the old housing, is airy, colorful and influenced by resident input.
It has new key fob technology, a door intercom system, elevators, and is fully accessible. In the main entry, a colorful tile floor was inspired by traditional Hmong tapestry. The hallways have multicolored carpets, and the units high ceilings.
The units also have free internet, offering first-time access for some and savings for others; full climate control; new appliances; washers and dryers instead of the basement hookups in the older housing; lots of windows; and either porches or decks. First-floor units were popular because residents could have outdoor gardens.
The fourth floor has a community room with views of the Capitol, a spacious outdoor deck and more.
Houa Xiong and Lee Moua, who came from Laos in 1978, say their new home is modern and beautiful. “We are very excited,” Xiong said. “It’s going to be good for the community.”
The main concerns have been about the loss of storage space because the old townhouses had basements. Many of the new units also have different layouts, meaning residents may see amenities in one unit that they didn’t get.
“Overall, the feedback has been positive,” Eddings said. “I’ve heard that residents like the open layouts, the light, the ample storage in the kitchens, the patio-deck spaces, the colors within the building and on the outside of the building, the fresh air ventilation system, the view and the community room.
“We’re hearing that families are extremely proud of their new homes and eager to show them off to their family and friends,” she said.
Moving forward
Already, crews are digging out the underground parking for the 25-unit apartment building to come and pouring concrete footings and wall frames.
One of the pleasant surprises of the demolitions is the opening of views from the property to Monona Bay, London said. “For the first time at Bayview, we have a bay view,” she said.
Like other projects, the redevelopment is being hit by inflation and rising construction costs, London said. Bayview is seeing a 35% rise in costs for the second phase of the project and “is looking at very angle of the project to see how we can creatively preserve the vision of the project while trying to reduce some of the escalating costs,” she said.
Fundraising for a capital campaign that includes the new community center, playground, gardens, operating reserve and a variety of programming initiatives is still underway, London said, adding that Bayview has $1.3 million left to raise to reach its $6 million goal for those elements of the project.
“We are looking for donations of any size, and there are naming rights available for various project features such as the community center’s commercial kitchen, art classroom, maker space, teen classroom and much more that are still available,” she said. “The new center will serve many more residents and families in the area, providing essential programs and services within the community.”
- Dean Mosiman