Promise kept: City of Madison secures lease for Maurer’s Market on S. Park St.

After months of negotiations, the City of Madison and Maurer's Market have signed and executed a lease agreement that will ensure people living in South Madison will still have access to a full-service grocery store in the area for years to come.

The agreement is years in the making. The initial grocer involved in the project informed the City in September 2021 that they would not be able to continue, meaning the City needed to find a replacement.

Maurer's agreed to step in as the tenant for the 24,000-square foot City-owned first-floor grocery condo at 815 Cedar Street in May 2023 and signed the lease on November 18, 2024 after needed improvements to the building were agreed upon and funded by the Common Council.

With the future of another grocery store in the area in question for several years, City staff worked extensively to ensure community members living in South Madison were still able to get their groceries without having to travel miles away.

"The city has worked diligently with Kristie Maurer to fulfill its promise to South Madison residents in ensuring a full services grocery store remains in the neighborhood. This accomplishment furthers our vision of fostering a healthy and thriving community. I am grateful for the dedicated work by city staff, the district alder, Kristie Maurer, and south Madison residents," Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.

"With this signed lease, the City and Kristie Maurer are making good on our promise to deliver continued access to a new full-service grocery store for South Madison residents. This has been among my top priorities as District 13 Alder and I'm extremely grateful for all the hard work to bring usto this point," District 13 Alder Tag Evers said.

"The residents of South Madison are encouraged that this project is finally moving forward. We appreciate the city's efforts to maintain viable grocery store options," District 14 Alder Isadore Knox said.

Maurer's has signed a fifteen-year (15) year lease agreement with the City, with three (3) options to extend the lease of five (5) years each. Maurer estimates that the grocery will be open for business in mid-2025.

"I am excited to move forward with this great project. I look forward to being a part of the South Madison community for many years to come," Kristie Maurer of Maurer's Urban Market said.

The City of Madison began looking to redevelop the space at 815 Cedar Street, formerly the site of the Truman Olson U.S. Army Reserve Center, by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to developers in January 2018, and again in 2019.

After the second RFP process and negotiations, the City signed a development agreement with Rule Enterprises and Movin' Out, Inc. in May 2021 for a mixed-use building that included the first-floor grocery space and 150 units of income-restricted housing. In addition to parking for building residents, the development also includes 60 dedicated parking spaces for grocery shoppers.

Community members can also get to the location by taking Metro's B line, which has a stop at S. Park Street and Cedar Street.

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