Royster-Clark Special Area Plan - Adopted October 20, 2009

Please Contact Staff if you have questions about the plan.

Plan Area Goals - Summary
Employment Area Recommendations - Summary 
Residential Area Recommendations - Summary
Mixed-Use Area Recommendations - Summary
Open Space and Transportation Recommendations - Summary 
Utilities and Urban Design Recommendations - Summary

Draft Plan for Public Review - July 24, 2009

Draft Special Area Plan Review

Common Council
October 20, 2009, 6:30 pm
City County Building, Rm. 200
Minutes

Plan Commission
October 05, 2009, 5:30 pm
City County Building, Rm. 200
Staff Recommendations Regarding Comments on Draft Plan
Minutes

Economic Development Committee
September 2, 2009, 5:00pm
Madison Municipal Building, Rm. 315
Minutes

Long Range Transportation Committee
August 20, 2009, 5:00pm
Madison Municipal Building, Rm. LL-110
Minutes 

Background Information

The planning process for the Royster-Clark Site and surrounding commercial area will be a two-part plan that utilizes a Market Feasibility Study to help shape the Special Area Plan's concepts and plan recommendations. The Market Feasibility Study was completed by Stockham Consulting, Inc., and the Special Area Plan will be completed by City Planning Staff with input from a Royster-Clark Neighborhood Planning Team (RCNPT), elected officials, neighborhood residents and property/business owners, as well as input from other City Agencies.

The planning area for the Special Area Plan and the supporting market study includes the Royster-Clark fertilizer plant site located on the north side of Cottage Grove Road, just west of Dempsey Road in the City of Madison, and other properties along the Cottage Grove Road corridor generally between the Stoughton Road interchange and Johns Street.

The Royster-Clark property is a vacant industrial facility located at the corner of Cottage Grove and Dempsey Roads on Madison's East Side. The Royster-Clark property was used until recently for production of granular agricultural fertilizer. It was one of several plants that produced fertilizer for this national company. In February of 2006, Royster-Clark was acquired by Agrium, Incorporated, a Canadian company with headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. Agrium has determined that the Madison production plant is not needed for their operations, and has been working to sell the property to developers. 

The possibility that the Royster-Clark fertilizer plant might eventually close has been recognized in the City of Madison's plans for many years. Both the 1977 Madison Land Use Plan and the 2006 City of Madison Comprehensive Plan recommend that if the site becomes available for redevelopment, alternative employment, residential or commercial urban uses would be more appropriate than reusing the site for another similar heavy industrial activity.

In the Fall of 2006, following the announcement of the closing and intended sale of the Madison plant, the District alderman and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods began meeting to discuss the site's future and how to participate in planning for its redevelopment. The Planning Division of the Madison Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development began a broad-based planning process to prepare a Special Area Plan for an area that includes the Royster-Clark site and other properties along the adjacent segment of the Cottage Grove Road corridor in September of 2007. This process builds upon, and continues, the planning efforts already started in the neighborhood.

Comprehensive Plan Land Use Recommendations
Existing Land Uses with Housing Units
Cottage Grove Road Businesses
Context and Amenities
Site Analysis Map
Traffic Analysis Map
Bike and Transit Routes
Traffic Counts and Street Classifications

Stockham Consulting was hired to prepare a Market Feasibility Study for the Royster-Clark site and nearby properties to inform the Special Area Plan. A professional market feasibility study that examines demographic, real estate and other dynamics helps to ensure that the plan's recommendations will not only reflect neighborhood and business community goals and objectives, but will also be realistic and have a high probability of implementation. In addition, the market study identifies potential barriers to redevelopment of the area with the recommended uses, so that these barriers may also be addressed by the plan.

The market study is intended to help inform a planning process to prepare a Special Area Plan to guide and promote the redevelopment of the Royster-Clark property and general improvement of the surrounding area as a mixed-use employment, residential and service location. The Special Area Plan will be prepared by City staff with technical input from Stockham Consulting related to the market study.

A major objective and benefit of including a market study as a component of the planning process is to gain a good understanding, backed by professional research and expertise, regarding which uses and combinations of uses would find the location attractive and have the best chance of success - and under what conditions. This will help ensure that planning recommendations made for the Royster-Clark site and the larger planning area are realistic and provide a sound basis for working with the future developers of this property.

The final report and executive summary can be seen here:

Royster-Clark Area Market Feasibility Report
Royster-Clark Area Market Feasibility Report Executive Summary

Regular monthly meetings are generally held on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 6:30 until approximately 8:30 pm. Dates, times and locations are subject to change by RCNPT members, and meeting space availability. Agendas and minutes can be found at:

February 19, 2009 Public Meeting, Olbrich Gardens Atrium

Presentation

February 19, 2009, Staff Presentation

Displays Summarizing Draft Recommendations

Royster-Clark Special Area Plan Vision and Goals
Employment Buildings
Residential Buildings
Mixed-Use Development
Transportation and Infrastructure
Streetscape and Urban Design

Illustrative Design Concepts for Royster-Clark Site

Concepts A and B, Plan View
Concepts A, Perspective View
Concepts B, Perspective View

July 23, 2008 Public Discussion, Olbrich Gardens Atrium

Summarized Meeting Results

On July 23, 2008 a second large public meeting was held to get neighborhood and citizen reactions to the Market Study, land use design preferences and several land-use design concepts.  The meeting was well attended with approximately 60 residents and business owners participating in open house activities, a short presentation, and small group discussions.

Presentation
City of Madison Planning Staff gave a short presentation on background information, the Final Market Study Report, site analysis and draft planning goals. 

Planning Staff Presentation

Draft Planning Goals
During an Open house, Meeting Participants were asked to rate Draft Planning Goals. These Preliminary Goals were developed in coordination with the RCNPT, and will give the Royster-Clark Special Area Plan a base from which to develop final recommendations. Further refining of these goals will be a part of the planning process.

Preliminary Planning Goals

Design Preference Survey
A Design Preference Survey was also included in open house activities. Participants were asked to evaluate photos and descriptions of different building types to determine how much of various types of development they would like to see on the site. Through a dot voting exercise, participants offered their views on three different land use types:

Residential Types Preference Survey 
Retail Types Preference Survey
Employment Types Preference Survey


Hypothetical Land Use Concepts
Hypothetical Land Use Concepts were developed to engage residents and meeting participants in a meaningful discussion about future uses on the site. None of the four concepts presented are finalized and each was only developed to gauge residents' concerns and issues with different land use types across the site. Small group discussions concentrated on different land use mixes and concentrations found within the four hypothetical concepts. Further land use alternative discussions will be necessary throughout the planning process. 

Hypothetical Land Use Concept 1: Mostly single-family housing with limited attached single-family housing and commercial uses at the corner of Dempsey and Cottage Grove Roads.

Hypothetical Land Use Concept 2: An even mix of single-family and attached housing on West end of site, with light industrial, office and commercial uses along the Dempsey Road Frontage.

Hypothetical Land Use Concept 3: Limited single-family housing along Royster Street, with predominantly, light industrial, flex-space, office and commercial uses on the remainder of the site.

Hypothetical Land Use Concept 4: Limited single-family housing along Royster Street, with an even mix of single-family attached and multi-family housing and commercial uses on the remainder of the site.

Spring 2008 Neighborhood Input Survey 
In the Spring of 2008, the Lake Edge and Eastmorland Neighborhoods created a Neighborhood Input Survey to ask neighborhood residents more specific questions about the Royster-Clark Site and Planning Area.

The results of this survey can be found here.  

November 5^th, 2007 Public Discussion,
Schenk Elementary School Cafeteria
On November 5th, 2007 a large public meeting was held to gauge residents and property owners concerns, ideas and issues for both the potential redevelopment site and the larger neighborhood. The meeting was well attended with approximately 100 residents and business owners participating in the break-out sessions. The responses to the questions asked at the public meeting can be viewed here.  

The Royster-Clark Neighborhood Planning Team (RCNPT)
The Royster-Clark Neighborhood Planning Team (RCNPT) holds monthly meetings to discuss the Market Study and Planning process. These meetings are open to the public and allow for public statements at the beginning of each meeting. The RCNPT usually meets at 6:30 pm on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Pinney Branch Library on Cottage Grove Road. However, dates, times and meeting locations are often changed as needs permit, so please look for posted meeting agendas at the City of Madison Meetings Calendar.  

Currently, no detailed City of Madison neighborhood plans or special area plans cover the Royster-Clark site or this segment of the Cottage Grove Road corridor.

1. City of Madison Comprehensive Plan
The City of Madison Comprehensive Plan, adopted in January 2006, identifies the Royster-Clark planning area as one with potential for a transition from its current somewhat random mix of residential, industrial, commercial and retail-strip activities to a more engaging urban community. In specific reference to the Royster-Clark site, the Comprehensive Plan carries the following map note:

"If in the future, the current industrial use no longer operates on this site, alternative residential and mixed-use developments are recommended as more appropriate uses for the property than another industrial use. Redevelopment of the site should be consistent with a City-adopted neighborhood or special area plan which ensures that development on this site is coordinated with uses in the surrounding neighborhood."


2. Stoughton Road Revitalization BUILD
The Stoughton Road Revitalization BUILD Project (SRRP) developed near- and long-term land use and design recommendations for the South Stoughton Road corridor and adjacent lands between U.S. Highway 30 and the South Beltline interchange. The Royster-Clark special planning area is outside the defined planning area for the SRRP, but the planning goals, objectives and recommendations from the SRRP will also affect the Royster-Clark planning area. The SRRP, as adopted June 2008, can be found at www.stoughtonroad.com.

A Neighborhood Planning Team has been established to guide City Planning Staff during the Planning process. The RCNPT meets monthly, with the option to have interim meetings to discuss specific issues.

Neighborhood Representatives:
Sheila Guilfoyle, Chair RCNPT, Neighborhood Resident-at-large 
John Martens, Vice Chair RCNPT, Neighborhood Resident-at-large
Kris Whitman, Eastmorland Neighborhood Representative
Jacky Da Walt, Lake Edge Neighborhood Representative
Neighborhood Representative Alternates:
BJ Obermeyer, Lake Edge Neighborhood Alternate
Kathy Soukup, Eastmorland Neighborhood Alternate

Business Representatives:
Jim Mohrbacher, MG&E Representative
Ken Bowers, Bower Family Chiropractic
Elected Officials
Larry Palm, City Alderperson
Tom Stoebig, County Board Supervisor
Agrium Representative: vacant

The Market Feasibility Study is funded by a Dane County BUILD Grant, and a City of Madison Neighborhood Planning Grant. These funds were used to hire an outside consultant specializing in Market Analysis. The Special Area Plan will be written by Planning Division Staff in the City of Madison Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development.