🏗️ Prepare for University Ave. lane closures

🍽️ After 35 Years, Sofra Bistro in Middleton to Close

• Sofra Bistro, the Albanian-American restaurant that’s been located in downtown Middleton since 1991, will close on Sunday.
• “We are truly grateful for this chapter, the memories, great food, friendships, and the years we’ve shared,” the restaurant posted on the their Instagram page.
• Sofra originally opened 35 years ago as Bavaria Family Restaurant in honor of the region’s German heritage, but changed to Sofra Bistro in 2010 as more Albanian cuisine, especially sausages, was added to the menu. Two couples, Gerry and Zamira Lumani and Faton and Luda Lumani (Gerry and Faton are brothers) own both Sofra Bistro and Villa Dolce Italian restaurant, also in Middleton. Villa Dolce will remain open. [WKOW, Instagram, Cap Times]

🏗️ Developers Say UW-Madison Doesn’t Need Another Dorm

• A report commissioned by Madison developers and property management companies concluded that downtown Madison has plenty of housing for undergraduates. Which might be news to students who often scramble every year to find a place to live.
• Minnesota-based Maxfield Research and Consulting inventoried student housing for a group of property owners called the Greater Madison Housing Consortium and concluded that there were more rental and dorm beds within just a mile of Bascom Hall than there were undergrads; plus, more student housing is expected in the next decade with all the proposed new downtown developments.
• But university officials said the report failed to take into account competition for the housing from non-students and graduate students.
• Downtown developers have disagreed with university officials over the need for another residence hall, and UW-Madison was unsuccessful in getting funding for a new 2,000-bed residence hall in the most recent state budget. [🔒WSJ, Isthmus]

🚗 University Avenue Lane Reduction to Start Monday

• Beginning March 2, the section of University Avenue between Bassett and Lake streets near campus will be reduced to two westbound lanes as construction crews begin work on Hawthorne Court.
• The project will take place in multiple phases and will impact traffic flow on University Avenue, N. Lake Street, and W. Dayton Street, and access to Hawthorne Court will be restricted.
• In the meantime, you can cast your vote for what piece of public art will brighten up Hawthorne Court once construction is finished. [City of Madison]

Meet Kilo! Kilo is a silly guy that puts up with a lot as the dog of a veterinarian. He loves to stop by the hospital to let vet students practice clinical skills such as blood draws! In his spare time, he can be found hiking around Madison or going through the Ancora drive through for a pup cup of whip cream!