November 6, 2001

$50,000 for Downtown Park Project: Baldwin Requested Funding

A House and Senate conference committee today included $50,000 for Madison’s Urban Open Space Foundation (UOSF) in the FY 2002 VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies appropriations bill. The money will help fund a 172 acre redevelopment project in the heart of downtown Madison. The money was included at the request of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. This final bill will now be sent to the House and Senate for their approval.

“I am delighted that I was able to secure funding for the Urban Open Space Foundation with the help of Congressman Dave Obey,” said Baldwin. “The vision of cleaning up old, industrial property for new park space, affordable housing, and new businesses will improve the quality of life for all Madisonians.”

UOSF, in partnership with the City of Madison, area businesses, and concerned citizens, envisions a new park, surrounded by several hundred units of mixed income housing, and new business development in the area commonly referred to as the East Rail Corridor. During the 1930s, this area was a bustling railroad yard in the heart of the city’s factory district. Today, the area, only six blocks from the State Capitol, is ripe for redevelopment.

“We’re thrilled!,” said Heather Mann, Founder and Executive Director of UOSF, a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting and enhancing Wisconsin’s critical neighborhood lands and waters. “We appreciate what Tammy has done for this community. It’s wonderful to have recognition at the federal level of the importance of healthy cities and the significance that open space plays in the revitalization of our downtown.”