Exact Sciences could spur Judge Doyle Square facelift project

Exact Sciences could prove to be the catalyst that finally pushes Madison’s plagued Judge Doyle Square proposal and gives parts of downtown a facelift.

If the Madison Common Council approves the Judge Doyle Square negotiation committee’s recommendation Tuesday, they would immediately begin exclusive negotiations with JDS Development and Exact Sciences, which submitted a joint proposal.

While three other companies also submitted requests, only the JDS-Exact Sciences’ proposal includes building 250,000 square-feet of office space for the expanding colon cancer testing company to relocate their headquarters downtown.

“Because you bring all of the great things that are going on downtown, and you incorporate that into your everyday work life , so that’s a huge positive,” CEO Kevin Conroy said.  “We also think it’s a huge positive for the city, and we care about the city’s economic growth, to bring these good paying jobs to downtown Madison.”

The JDS Judge Doyle Square proposal is estimated to cost between $186 and $203 million.  In addition to the Exact Sciences space, it includes a luxury hotel and parking improvements, a food hall, conference rooms, and health and wellness and broadcast centers.

Between $55 million and $65 million of the request is proposed as public money, which is where disagreement is historically rooted for the common council.