Recently, the League of American Bicyclists recognized the Uptown Fitchburg campus of Avante Properties with a Silver Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) award, earning it a place alongside more than 1,400 businesses across the country contributing to the movement to build a more Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.
“We’re proud to celebrate this round of new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses who are investing their resources to not only build up bicycling in the workplace but in their communities as well,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “It takes collaboration to build an America where every person can safely and easily choose to bike, and we applaud Avante Properties pedaling alongside us to power this movement.”
“Avante Properties’ Uptown campus joins a total of 1,480 current BFBs nationwide, including everything from government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, museums, hospitality establishments, bike shops, and other employers, all united in a commitment to transform American workplaces to be more welcoming to both customers and employees who bike. The Bicycle Friendly Business award recognizes an organization’s contributions in shifting up and accelerating the movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.
“Working in tandem with local advocates like Bike Fitchburg, Inc., and the League, employers like Avante Properties are demonstrating leadership towards improving the well-being of our colleagues, friends, and neighbors by making biking better for everyone,” said Nesper. “We hope that businesses big and small will continue to build off one another’s efforts to improve bicycling and employ this holistic approach to building a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.”
Avante Properties is a major real estate developer in Fitchburg and Madison, Wisconsin, specializing in multifamily housing. The Uptown campus consists of townhouses and nine apartment buildings in Uptown Fitchburg, with another under construction. Avante is also the lead developer of Uptown, a transit-oriented development in northeast Fitchburg.
“In Uptown we undertook to build a community with the quality-of-life features that would attract the many new residents who are coming to Dane County and Fitchburg,” said Chris Armstrong, President of Avante Properties. “Building in bike friendliness was a natural step, considering Fitchburg’s identity as a bicycling city. We thank the Bike League for this award. It’s confirmation that we’re on the right track!”
Avante’s buildings have all the amenities expected for bicycle friendly housing. Each building has secure indoor parking for residents, a “bike bench” and air pump for quick repairs, and a stash of free maps and other bike information. There is convenient outdoor parking for guests throughout campus.
As master developer for the neighborhood, however, there were other opportunities. Avante worked with the city to build Fitchburg’s first cycle tracks along busy Lacy Road and East Cheryl Parkway and surrounded the perimeter of the campus with a multi-use path, the Uptown Greenway. Uptown’s other streets were built to the specifications of the Bicycle Module of Fitchburg’s SmartCode development and zoning code to be inherently slow and comfortable for people on bikes. Uptown’s major industrial resident, SHINE Technologies, is a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Business.
Avante Properties joins fourteen existing BFB’s in Fitchburg, including Bike Fitchburg and Wheel & Sprocket (Platinum), the city government’s Civic Campus and Griessmeyer Law (Gold), Adesys, the Fitchburg Chamber Visitors + Business Bureau, KL Engineering, Race Day Events (also Silver) and six Bronze BFBs around the city. Wisconsin now has more than 50 Bicycle Friendly Businesses.
“When Bike Fitchburg assists a local business apply to be a Bicycle Friendly Business, we work on improving conditions for biking as well as creating a compelling application,” said Steve Arnold, Bike Fitchburg’s project manager for the Bike League’s Bicycle Friendly America program. “Avante, however, had already checked all the boxes, and they eagerly accepted the few suggestions we were able to make. We are so proud they received Silver on the first try!”
“Avante is a pillar of our local development community,” said Julia Arata-Fratta, Mayor of Fitchburg. “They are spearheading cost-effective, walkable urban development in Fitchburg. The many ways they support and encourage residents to bike are a natural part of that. We congratulate them on this new honor.”
As part of the BFB network, Avante Properties will have access to a variety of tools and technical assistance from the League to become even more welcoming to people who bike. To learn more about the BFB program or apply, visit the League at https://bikeleague.org/business. For assistance in Fitchburg in implementing bike-friendly strategies or applying to be a BFB, reach out to Bike Fitchburg at info@bikefitchburg.org.