Introduction

In the winter of 2021, Madison Planning & Development Director Monica Callahan approached the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Partnership, a collaboration between the Georgia Municipal Association, the Georgia Cities Foundation, and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, seeking design assistance for DDA-owned property along the railroad.

The Madison DDA envisioned creating an innovative destination on the 2.3 acres of DDA property adjacent to the newly restored Central of Georgia Depot. Preliminary concepts included a boxcar row using repurposed shipping containers housing up to 10 new retail, restaurant, and small business tenants. Distinctive microbusinesses, a proposed 6,000-square-foot brewery, an extended Bull Street, a multi-use trail, and a central gathering space would bring new life and activity to the currently vacant area adjacent to the historic train depot. Across the newly extended Bull Street, an artisan village using a single-pen residential plan typical of Madison’s historic neighborhoods would integrate 12 new housing units into this design. Buffered from surrounding residential lots with mature trees, this community of quaint, historic-styled cottages would provide space for an artist-in-residence program, bolstering ongoing efforts to promote the arts in the community. With support from the Georgia Municipal Association and the Georgia Cities Foundation, design staff from UGA’s Institute of Government visualized Madison’s Boxcar Alley and Artisan Village development concepts.