With development booming in downtown Madison, a lawmaker wants to maintain views of the Capitol dome. State Senator Fred Risser was an author of current state law, which places restrictions on the height of new construction within one mile of the historic Wisconsin State Capitol building.
“No structure can be more than 1,032 feet above sea level, which is the elevation of the base of the State Capitol dome,” Risser said. “That bill was passed in 1985.” The Madison Democrat’s new proposal – to extend that height restriction out to two miles from the Capitol, comes at a time of increasing development pressure on Madison’s isthmus.
“There’s a lot of talk about going higher and higher in buildings around Madison, and I think the two-mile buffer will retain the architecturally significant and beautiful Capitol building,” said Risser, who’s currently seeking co-sponsors for his bill. “I have not talked to any developers about the bill. If people want to develop skyscrapers, I hope they’ll develop them more than two miles away from the Capitol.”