Advocates have been trying to create a public market for at least 14 years. The site has bounced from the Brayton parking lot on East Washington Avenue two blocks east of Capitol Square, to what would become the Judge Doyle Square project south of Capitol Square, to the current area between East Washington and East Johnson just east of the Yahara River.

In 2014-15, the city was focused on the Fleet Services building but the site shifted amid uncertainty about the timing of relocating Fleet Services to Nakoosa Trail on the Far East Side and opportunities presented by the owners of the adjacent Washington Square shopping plaza site. But after months of discussion and joint planning efforts, the city and shopping center owners hit an impasse late last year, and the market site reverted back to the Fleet Services building.

Now, Fleet Services, which maintains the city’s vehicles, will move to a new facility at 4141 Nakoosa Trail in 2020 with a groundbreaking for the market that fall and an opening of the market in fall 2021.

The nonprofit Madison Public Market Foundation will manage and operate the facility and the city will keep ownership of the building.

The city has included $7.5 million for the market in the capital budget, with the foundation raising $4 million, including $2.5 million for the building project and $1.5 million for future market operations. The foundation expects $3 million in federal new market tax credits, and state and federal grants and tax incremental financing (TIF) may also be used to support the project.

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