Downtown Madison’s Capital Fitness would be razed to make way for a 12-story housing facility with an expanded gym space under plans from Erik Minton, the gym’s owner, and his company, Butler Plaza LLC, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Minton said the current three-story building at the intersection of East Washington Avenue and North Butler Street needs an update, as does the two-story office building next door.
Butler Plaza LLC about 25 years ago renovated the building on the corner, which had formerly housed The Capital Times, and constructed the attached, six-story Butler Plaza building. The latest redevelopment plans would allow Italian restaurant Naples 15 and many other businesses at the plaza to remain open and eventually be connected to the new building. The restaurant’s back patio would be expanded as well.
The first two floors of the proposed new housing facility would house the gym, while its upper 10 floors would offer around 77 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Two levels of underground parking would connect to existing parking under the plaza.
While Madison’s zoning code only allows for up to 10 stories at the site, Minton plans to use a city tax incentive established in 2023 to build extra floors in exchange for setting aside some units for low-income renters.
