4506 Verona Road-After Community meeting

Hello!

Thank you for joining the call about this development and for the feedback. I shared some of the concerns expressed in the call. The problems associated with health issues for people living close to highways have been at the center of my conversations with the developer and staff. I have seen studies of the negative impact of the Verona reconstruction in my neighborhood. These concerns are troubling and not news to me. Plan Commission makes the conditional use decision, and as a former Plan Commissioner, I know firsthand how deeply thoughtful the members get into these discussions. I am looking forward to it.

Last Night's Commentary & Emails:

Traffic Congestion

The traffic congestion argument does not align with the city's Complete Streets policy, which deprioritizes vehicles and strives to create shared spaces suitable for pedestrians, bikes, and other transportation methods. From the emails I received, the same individual demanded a traffic study while at the same time asking for parking for every bedroom. How do we expect to reduce dependency on vehicles and reduce speeding, while at the same time demanding excessive parking in a location served by two bus routes and access to a bike path? The Hammersley road project is an example of correcting the wrongs of the past by reducing the width of the road to slow down traffic and creating a multi-use path to share the road with others.

Affordability

From an email after last night's meeting: "While this might be 'affordable' housing in the monetary sense for people, it will strip people of their health and lives.  It is not just the ""noise"" that should concern you.  There is hard data supporting how bad it is for people to live in such environments. There is something wrong with your moral guidance if you think this is a suitable place for housing, and in particular for people who have few options for housing."

Affordable housing is not the same as low-income housing; low-income housing does not mean having undesirable neighbors. The current market determines property values, and our focus should be on advocating for funding for the essential services that individuals in need require to thrive in the wealthiest area of Dane County. No one should be left unsheltered, forced to sleep under bridges and underpasses.

To provide context, the new development and the Derby are categorized as affordable housing and adhere to the county's affordability guidelines. This development utilizes Dane County's 2025 affordable housing income limits, where the Area Median Income (AMI) for a family of four is $129,800. The units in this development are distributed as follows:

When you review the City of Madison's 2025 budget, you'll find that many job classifications fall within the affordable housing income limits when considering the position as the sole source of income for a family of four. It is important to emphasize that affordable housing is not synonymous with low-income housing! 

Plan Commission

The Plan Commission Meeting on May 19 is a crucial step in this process. The agenda will be posted a few days before the meeting, and I will share the registration information as soon as it's available. Please attend and participate in this critical discussion. Click for a complete list of Conditional Use Standards to familiarize yourself with the topics we'll be covering.

My thought process for this project:

1. Housing is a priority; all types are needed, including land banking, low-income, affordable, and market-rate housing.
2. This location is not ideal due to the health impacts associated with its proximity to the Beltline and Verona.
3. Access to amenities such as groceries, restaurants, transit, bike paths, libraries, and parks is essential to create walkable neighborhoods.
4. Does the city have ordinances, zoning rules, or policies prohibiting mixed-use development near the Beltline?
5. Have other similar conditional uses been approved?
6. Did the developer hire a management company with a history of negatively impacting other city neighborhoods?
7. What will the commercial corner and parking lot's future land use look like? 

My role is to carefully weigh all these questions, ensuring a balanced approach to decision-making. I take these decisions very seriously, especially those related to increasing the housing stock. I don't make decisions based on elections or the fear of losing support at the polls. However, discussing housing and the health impacts on future tenants was extremely uncomfortable while ignoring the needs of an unhoused individual sleeping just a few meters from the development site. This balance is difficult to achieve, but it's a commitment I take seriously.

Some of these questions are straightforward; for example, the answer to question 4 is "No," and for question 5, it is a complex "Yes." How does the Plan Commission justify the allowance of housing near the Beltline along Odana Road, Gammon Road/Beltline, Schroeder Road/Beltline, and even Hammersley, directly across from this project? Those are just a few examples. 

Regarding question 6, I have already conducted due diligence by contacting the Public Health Violence Prevention team and the district captain about their experience with the management company. Both agencies provided similar feedback: " In regard to the property management, my NPO and Allied NRO have a very good working relationship with the management at The Derby. I have met with them to discuss their property, safety, and some of the expectations we have. I have found them to be very supportive, responsive, collaborative, and open to feedback and concerns," according to MPD.

In response to the statements made during yesterday's call regarding service requests that lacked context, I have requested a report from the Madison Police Department (MPD) about offenses at The Derby and how these incidents compare to those at other similar apartment buildings. The city of Madison faces challenges with management companies, and the state does not permit regulation of these entities. I depend on the feedback from the agencies that interact directly with these companies, and so far, the feedback regarding The Derby has been positive.

Finally, we are in the process of developing the Southwest area plan. It is worth discussing the 10-year vision for that parking lot and the entire commercial triangle. The plan should include opportunities to beautify the area, increase bike/pedestrian connectivity, and maximize land use. I have put a lot of thought into this project and am looking forward to the Plan Commission's discussion. Please check the related blogs or contact us for clarification if you have any questions about the process. You can watch last night's meeting here.