Ellestad said that with 5,500 new jobs coming from the World Dairy Center, there is a need for more housing on the east side. While the project is being planned for what is now mainly farmland, Soglin was quick to defuse any talk about a sprawl project. He said the project is sound from a land use perspective since it is adjacent to the current city limits. There is a major concern that development take place contiguous to the city of Madison and we're pleased to be getting some of it. It remains to be seen whether Hovde's project will fully embrace the concept of traditional neighborhood development, which has been all the rage in some planning and real estate circles over the past decade.
Traditional neighborhoods emphasize small lots, narrow streets and pedestrian-friendly design.
Middleton Hills, another traditional neighborhood development project by the late Marshall Erdman, is being developed off Pheasant Branch Road in Middleton. Nationally renowned planner Andres Duany, one of the leading practitioners of the new urbanism, is helping design Middleton Hills. The Madison Plan Commission has also made an effort to encourage developers to pursue alternatives. Last fall, it approved a zoning change to allow smaller lots to accommodate traditional neighborhood designs. Caryl Terrell, chairwoman of the Plan Commission, which will review the plans as they come before the city, said she hopes Hovde will stick with his vow to create something special.