Common Council

Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan (OMSAP) coming to Common Council for Final Approval.

Hi Neighbors, 

I want to personally thank everyone for participating in the development of OMSAP by providing your feedback. Now that all of the commissions and committees have provided their recommendations, on July 21st it will be coming to the Common Council for final approval. 

Two main areas of concerns are still unresolved. First, is the Planning Staff's recommendation to develop housing on the contaminated lands of Hartmeyer, an active wetland. We are going through historic flooding and climate change and neighbors have expressed deep concerns about the future development at the Hartmeyer Wetland and upland area. As of today, if the plan is approved as it is by the Common Council, we would lose the opportunity to protect the wetlands and ecological assets. 

There is also conflict over opening Coolidge Street to Packers Avenue. Coolidge Street was not designed to support heavy traffic going through the neighborhood; two blocks away we have Commercial Avenue which was designed for that traffic. The people living on Coolidge Street and those streets affected if it were to be opened to traffic from Packers Avenue are overwhelmingly in strong opposition to opening it to automobile traffic. Many of them have families and small children who play in their yards or in Eken Park (bordered on one side by Coolidge). I'm hearing time and time again from you that the heavy traffic and increased noise, dirt and dust is not welcome and not good for our community.

If you want to get your voice heard and express your support or opposition then please write down your opinion to allalders@cityofmadison.com

We all know Common Council meetings often go very late into the night, so I would encourage those who can not stay very long and still want to participate to give their public comment by registering for public hearing at the start of the meeting. 

Please see the below information on how to attend the (virtual) meeting. 
 

Common Council

The Common Council meeting will be broadcast online via (Zoom). The meeting will start at 6:30 PM.

Important information regarding how to listen to or watch and participate in this meeting:

1. WRITTEN COMMENTS: Please also send your comments to allalders@cityofmadison.com 

2. REGISTER BUT DO NOT SPEAK: You can register your support, opposition, or neither support or opposition to an agenda item without speaking at https://www.cityofmadison.com/MeetingRegistration.

3. REGISTER TO SPEAK or TO ANSWER QUESTIONS: If you wish to speak to an agenda item at the virtual meeting in support, opposition, or neither support or opposition, you MUST register.

You can register at https://www.cityofmadison.com/MeetingRegistration. When you register to speak OR answer questions, you will be prompted to provide contact information so that you can be sent an email with the information you will need to join the virtual meeting.

4. WATCH THE MEETING: You can listen to or watch the Plan Commission meeting in several ways:

• Livestream on the Madison City Channel website: https://media.cityofmadison.com/mediasite/showcase

• Livestream on the City of Madison YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CityofMadison