With the exception of about six months, loud excavators and tall cranes have been a nearly constant sight at Verona’s Epic Systems campus. 

And now, as the healthcare software company completes an expansion to its fourth campus, works on its sixth and plans for its seventh, the machines will remain active for the foreseeable future. 

“This has essentially been a 20-plus year construction project,” Jim Schumacher, a member of Epic’s facilities team, told the Press. 

At the same time as Epic’s campus expands, the company is working with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) on various road improvement projects set to take place over the next few years. The goal is to alleviate current traffic congestion from Epic’s large population by increasing access points to the campus.

Constructing new buildings and improving roads does not come without a cost, however. Epic is hoping to reduce some of these costs by creating a new Tax Incremental District (TID) – TID 11 – to the north and west of its existing campus. 

TID 11 expected to create nearly $500 million in incremental value by 2029

Part of Tax Incremental Financing, TIDs allows municipalities to pay for public improvements and other eligible costs within the specified boundaries. Improvements are paid for using the future taxes collected on the TID’s increased property value. 

As part of TID 11, Epic is requesting the City of Verona to reimburse a portion of its road improvements, as well as fund necessary public infrastructure projects to support the campus’ expansion. The city’s investments will enable development to occur at Epic that is expected to create nearly $495 million in incremental value by Jan. 1, 2029, according to a project plan from Ehler. 

TID 11 is an industrial district with a maximum life of 20 years. The city would be required to pay approximately $34.9 million in project costs. This includes $13.2 million in water and sanitary sewer system improvements, $20 million in road work reimbursements and additional associated costs. 

According to Ehler’s plan, the city should generate enough tax increment to pay off all its project costs by 2031. A loan is required for the public infrastructure improvements, however the $20 million in road construction reimbursements can be paid over a five-year period as tax increments are generated. 

Within the TID’s 99.57 net acre boundary is “Guilds” and “Creatures,” the two final office buildings that are currently under construction in Epic’s “Wizards Academy” (Campus Four). These magic-themed spaces are expected to open in late 2024, Schumacher said. 

The TID also includes Epic’s sixth, and newest, campus: “Other Worlds.” This campus started construction last year with “Black Hole,” a parking structure containing over 2,000 parking stalls. 

Though TID 11 plans show the approximate locations of buildings in Epic’s future seventh campus, Schumacher said the main focus of the district is to fund projects associated with the Other Worlds campus.

“That’s our future planning,” he explained. “There’s no commitments about campus seven other than the location of the land.” 

Epic begins its sixth campus, ‘Other Worlds’ 

Epic currently has around 12,000 employees that work onsite at its campus, a number that reaches over 13,000 when accounting for employees worldwide.

After construction wraps on its newest campus, Other Worlds, Epic will see an additional 2,400 offices and a new food services building. 

Yet these extra offices are not just to account for future employee growth. Schumacher said the intention of Epic’s most recent expansion is to comfortably disperse its onsite employees across campus. 

“Currently, we’re doubling up in offices at about 55%,” he said. “The goal is to get to 20%.”

According to plans submitted to the city, phase one of Epic’s Other Worlds campus includes the construction of three office buildings, a dining hall and the Black Hole parking structure.

And like every other building on campus, Other Worlds will boast unique features inspired by popular books and films. From a giant wardrobe entrance reminiscent of the “Chronicles of Narnia” series to an underground dining hall that could appear in “The Lord of the Rings,” Epic’s campus is built with the goal of inspiring all who pass through. 

“We theme our buildings because that creativity can inspire innovation and help our staff create software that solves really complex problems,” Erika Koch, a member of Epic’s events team, told the Press. 

Schumacher anticipates phase one construction of the Other Worlds campus to finish in early 2027.

Creating a northern access point 

TID 11 would require the City of Verona to reimburse Epic $20 million in costs associated with road improvements, funds that would be payable over a five-year period. 

Road improvements projects near Epic, which are being planned in coordination with the city and WisDOT, aim to provide an additional campus access point from the north via Country View Road. Existing roadways along Northern Lights Road, on the east side of campus, are at capacity and cannot handle additional traffic during morning and afternoon peak hours. 

Construction is currently underway on County Hwy. PD between Country View Road and Northern Lights Road to create a four-lane boulevard section. The city is also making progress on its project that will relocate Country View Road to the west of the street’s existing houses. 

In addition to this, the city’s “West Road” project would create a two-lane roadway from north of the Dairy Ridge Road interchange to the new intersection 800 feet northeast of the Military Ridge Trail. The overall plan involves building a four-lane bridge over a portion of the Upper Sugar River, something locals spoke out against during a Wisconsin DNR public informational hearing in May for the bridge’s proximity to wetlands and wildlife. 

Road improvement projects with WisDOT on US Hwy. 18/151 are expected to begin in 2025. Schumacher said construction will occur over a series of three phases and should be complete by 2027.

Plan Commission approves TID 11

The City of Verona Plan Commission approved TID 11 during its Monday, July 1 meeting with no public comment. Mayor Luke Diaz voiced his overall support for the new district, calling it a “win” for both the city and the region.

“Aside from the fact that it’s going to get a road out there that we desperately need… it’s also going to allow us to do some other infrastructure out there that needs to be done without putting it on the general revenue,” he said. 

Diaz did comment about the overall TID valuation of nearly $500 million, noting that commercial properties in Dane County have been trending downwards in value as of recently. If this trend continues, there is a possibility that the district may not be valued as highly by the time it closes. 

The City of Verona currently has two active TIDs: TID 8 includes portions of Verona Technology Park on the city’s southeast side, while TID 9 is located along West Verona Avenue. 

TID 11 will now move on to the Common Council for discussion and possible action on Monday, July 22. A date for the meeting of the Joint Review Board, where final approval would take place, is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 14.