Beltline's central corridor is newest commerce center

By Andrew Boyle

When people think about thriving business developments in the Madison area, Downtown and the West Side come to mind, and rightfully so.

While Downtown has served as the business hub for Dane County over the decades, the West Side has grown exponentially, with business parks and office buildings now stretching beyond the traditional borders of Middleton.

There is, however, a burgeoning area in Madison that has been previously unrealized over the years -- the Beltline's central corridor.

Its location lends itself to the center of the Madison business community, with Downtown a short five-minute drive down John Nolen Drive, and the Far West Side and Interstate 39-90-94 within 15 minutes via the Beltline.

Two developments are utilizing the convenient location to build a new center for commerce in Dane County.

The Novation Campus, located between the Beltline, U.S. Highway 14 and Rimrock Road and Arbor Gates, located at Todd Drive and the Beltline, have both recently seen prominent businesses relocate to their quarters.

Providing easy and expedient access for customers and employees alike, the developments are offering an alternative to the Downtown and West Side business communities.

High visibility

Taking advantage of high visibility, Novation Campus and Arbor Gates benefit from being located along the state's busiest stretch of highway, aside from urban Milwaukee.

Seen by more than 120,000 car drivers each day, the developments offer unparalleled Beltline visibility while eliminating the need for businesses to have multiple locations throughout the city.

Software calculated drive times and estimated commute times for a sample of 2,000 employees (at Wisconsin Department of Revenue building) found that these areas -- Novation Campus and Arbor Gates -- were extremely unique in terms of their locations.
It became apparent that those sites were the most accessible for employees spread throughout the county.

Businesses take notice

A number of prominent Madison businesses have relocated to these developments because of the need to be easily and visibly accessible to its employees and customers.

Businesses such as Shopbop, Great Wisconsin Credit Union, Zimbrick European, and the publicly traded Great Wolf Resorts have all found Novation Campus' location to be a vital part to their business.

At the same time, Wipfli (one of the area's largest accounting firms) and The Wisconsin Heart and Vascular Institute have relocated to Arbor Gates.

Location, location, location

With Downtown Madison only a five-minute drive from these developments, and the East and West sides within 10-15 minutes, developments such as these are providing Madison businesses with a central location.

It cannot be said enough, and that's why in the real estate industry people often say it in threes: location, location, location.

Considering the number of businesses relocating to the Beltline's central corridor, it's evident this location is fast becoming Madison's newest center for commerce.

Andrew Boyle is director of leasing and sales for The Alexander Company.

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