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University Avenue Corridor Project
The Corridor
University Avenue, from the 1600 block to 2600 block, is a collector street in the Regent Neighborhood, Madison, WI. Prior to the construction of Campus Drive in 1968, the street was the major east-west thoroughfare connecting Madison’s Westside to the campus and Downtown. The Campus Drive bypass diverted traffic from the once bustling street. The positive of the bypass: adjacent residential neighborhoods have benefitted from a less traffic congested street. The negative of the bypass: less neighborhood-serving businesses are operating because of local traffic patterns and the growing competition of the Hilldale area. An important question for the neighborhood to answer is what is the best future for the corridor? And how will changes be incorporated into the existing character of the neighborhood?
Alderperson Bidar-Sielaff and the Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development (DPCED) will work with Regent neighbors and business community to undertake the planning process. In Spring of 2010, DPCED will start a visioning and planning process for the University Avenue Corridor (UAC). We want to have residents, businesses, and stakeholders involved in all phases of planning for the future. Art & Design Workshops, community-wide open houses, and local business interviews are scheduled throughout the 10-month planning period. The final report will include:
- A Vision Statement
- A description of a realistic and credible desired future for University Avenue.
- Land Use Plan
- A map and a written description of the different land use areas or districts for University Avenue. The land use plan/map serves as the guide for policy-makers, such as the Plan Commission, in land use decisions. The Madison Comprehensive Master Plan states that neighborhoods should “prepare and adopt a detailed neighborhood plan that clearly defines the locations where redevelopment, changes in use and/or increased density are recommended, the areas where no significant changes in use or intensity are recommended, and the essential character, scale and design elements that are critical to ensuring that new development is compatible with existing development”.
- Design Guidelines
- A set of guidelines on the appearance and aesthetics of buildings or improvements that governs construction, alteration, demolition or relocation of a building or improvement, including land improvements.
- Planned Improvements
- Specific recommendations to improve the aesthetic or function of the street. Focus is on improvements in the public right-of-way such as pedestrian-friendly amenities, bicycle lanes, on-street parking, street trees, and public art.
- Action Plan
- Spells out in some detail how the plan's vision or goals are to be achieved. This includes a description of the responsible party, the specific actions to be taken and the time frame for completing the action. The time frame of the plan is usually between one and ten years.
Several years ago, a devoted group of residents and business representatives set out to prepare a plan for University Avenue Corridor. Working with a consultant, a preliminary plan was prepared which focused on design guidelines for the corridor. During the final stages of putting the Plan together, it was determined that more neighborhood-based discussion was necessary to ensure the vision, value, and design for the corridor was supported by Regent Neighborhood and the business community. The 2010 UAC Planning Process will take into consideration the preliminary recommendations generated from the work completed by the 23-member work group.
Study Boundaries
The study area includes the street segment of University Avenue from Breeze Terrace on the east, Farley Avenue on the west, Campus Drive on the north, and Kendall Avenue on the south. The primary focus is on the physical improvement and future build-up of the corridor; however, the project will examine the connectivity of the street to the larger region, vitality of the Highland Avenue business node, and the potential reuse and/or redevelopment of key sites |
Residents generated ideas about how to improve the corridor at the Art & Design Workshops (June-July 2010)
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