The History of Common Wealth Development

Neighborhood Beginnings

Through the 1970s and early 1980s, Williamson Street was in decline. The light industries and agriculture-related businesses, which had historically been the backbone of the neighborhood’s economy, either moved or died out, leaving many empty buildings and no jobs. For example, when La Samaritaine Co-op bought their buildings on the 1000 block in 1982, the derelict buildings were infested with mice and cockroaches. The perceptions of the condition of Willy Street were having a detrimental effect on the entire neighborhood. 

There was a significant need for affordable housing created as if people mattered, the cultivation of a local economy, and workforce training. In an attempt to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood, the neighbors founded Common Wealth Development in 1979.  

Community-Building through Willy Street Fair

To bring the community together again, local artists, musicians and engaged neighbors organized the first-ever “Willy Street Fair” on the third weekend in September, 1977.  Their vision was a community model which included a tool lending library, a neighborhood recycling program, cooperative housing, and affordable housing for low-income families.  Two years later, on February 14th of 1979, these same artists, musicians and neighborhood residents used the revenue and community support from the fair as the foundation for Common Wealth Development.   

Now, the fair is a major neighborhood event and fundraiser held in collaboration with the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Centerwho became a key partner in 2000.

Health Equity As Violence Prevention

Common Wealth Development uses a racial justice and health equity approach to our violence prevention work. The cornerstones of this work include reducing health inequities by providing safe and healthy housing, supporting economic stability and reducing the likelihood of violence through workforce development and business incubation and leveraging community resources and outreach activities to enhance social cohesion.

Community Engagement

Common Wealth Development is a community development organization, centered in a belief in strong neighborhoods and support for neighbors.  Starting with the Willy Street Fair, community engagement efforts have always been the driver of our work – efforts ranging from establishing the Tool Lending Library,  promoting the Yahara River Parkway, to creating the Willy St. Park on the corner of Willy St and Brearly St by acquiring a conservation easement. Our Board and staff have always been and will always be ready to support neighborhood efforts aligned with our mission and vision for a healthy Madison.  

This work has only grown throughout the years, and now includes hosting community events such as Table Talks in the Meadowood neighborhood and workshops to re-invigorate residents to become better acquainted with neighbors and discuss issues in the community. This also includes our ongoing support of the Violence Prevention Coalition, led by Public Health of Madison and Dane County.

Housing Improvements

Since its inception, Common Wealth has pioneered new housing models and participated in several successful renovations throughout the City of Madison. Our earliest renovations included transforming four houses on the 800 block of Williamson into the Ridge Side Co-Op, and initiating the mutual housing model in the Willard Knight Mansion project on the 1400 block. Implementing the mutual housing model in the Marquette neighborhood led to the birth of the Madison Mutual Housing Association; and later, there was a push to take the model citywide, where MMHA split from Common Wealth to become an independent organization.  

In 1986, Common Wealth began renovating Vaughn Commons on the 1100 block of Williamson in order to provide transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence.  

Common Wealth began new construction of the Falconer Cooperative in 1991, establishing one of the first projects to use low-income tax credits to replace a Quonset hut and two dilapidated houses. This was Common Wealth’s first experience with our own development, resulting in nine units of new affordable housing.  

In support of the City of Madison’s efforts to support aspiring homeowners, in 1998 we established the Lease-to-Purchase homeownership program . The Lease-to-Purchase program provides one-on-one counseling to low-income people who want to buy a home. The family can then lease the building for a period of up to three years, while Common Wealth puts a percentage of their monthly rent into an escrow account. At the end of the three years, their deposits help with their down payment. In addition, Common Wealth uses its connections to help the prospective homeowner get the best possible mortgage rate. 

In 2002, in close collaboration with neighborhood residents, Common Wealth began developing a sixty-unit, three-story building at the corner of Main and Thornton Streets on the Yahara River. After opening on September 1, 2003, Yahara River View Apartments offers a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units at substantially below-market rent. Fifty-five of the units are available for people with incomes at or below 40% to 60% of county median income, and the other five units are rented at market rate.  

In 2021, Common Wealth completed work on the Alliance at Meadowood Park, a mixed use building with 11 below-market rent apartments, and home to Common Wealth’s West Madison Office, where we are joined by staff from Dane County’s Joining Forces for Family program.   

Additionally, in 2023, Common Wealth teamed up with The Road Home to provide management services for 15 units in the Meadowood neighborhood, which The Road Home owns in support of their Housing and Hope programming.   

To date, Common Wealth has created, renovated and/or rehabbed 160 properties now available for rent: 114 on the east side and 46 on the southwest side in Madison’s Meadowood neighborhood.