Madison LakeWay Project Vote

posted July 15, 2025 - 2:39pm

Hi Everyone,

I've received a number of emails and a couple of phone inquiries regarding tonight's scheduled vote on an ordinance change regarding the Madison LakeWay project.

From the Drafter's Analysis:

This ordinance would create an exception to the preservation of shoreline parks ordinance to allow the City to proceed with the Madison LakeWay Project in Olin Park (northwest of Wingra Creek), along the John Nolen causeway, and in Brittingham and Law Parks. Under the ordinance, any change in the legal status of, or major construction in, a shoreline park must be approved by City-wide referendum. The Madison LakeWay Project is a major project that, by the time of its construction, will have been the subject of years of planning and public discussions. Exempting this project from the ordinance will allow implementation of the Master Plan to proceed without the need of a referendum.

I was surprised by one of the callers who stated this was the first she had heard of the Madison LakeWay project. If you're in the same boat, here are four links to help you get up to speed:

The Master Plan was approved by a unanimous vote of Common Council last year following affirmative votes from six city committees. The Master Plan itself was the culmination of a rigorous process over several years featuring robust public engagement.

The Master Plan is a vision statement for a project that will likely take several decades to fully implement. Madison LakeWay will be implemented in multiple phases and the first phase is timed to go forward in conjunction with the John Nolen reconstruction project which begins next year.

It doesn't make sense for the city to hold a referendum each time we are moving forward with an element or phase of the project. Nor is it feasible to draft one overarching referendum question for Madison LakeWay given its many varied components. The exemption recognizes the vast amount of public engagement that has taken place to date and will take place moving forward.

Let me be clear. The Madison LakeWay Master Plan lays out a multi-phase project that will likely take decades to implement; the funding for each phase, and all the elements in each phase, will still be subject to approval by our regular public processes involving city committees (e.g., Board of Public Works and Parks Commission) and Common Council should the exemption be approved tonight.

If you are indeed interested in this project, a public information meeting on the first phase is coming up next week. Join us on Monday, July 21 at 6:30 PM for a virtual public meeting to review the ongoing design development for upcoming Madison LakeWay improvements. The project area is a 0.6-mile stretch of Lake Monona’s shoreline adjacent to John Nolen Drive. We’re inviting community members to review the progress and share input on proposed lakeshore features.

What to Expect:

A look at the design progress since the completion of the schematic phase earlier this year
An overview of the proposed lakeshore amenities
Update on project next steps
Opportunities to provide feedback and ask questions

Project Timeline:

Schematic design completion: Early 2025
Design development: Through August 2025
Construction documents: Late 2025 – early 2026
Public Works bidding: Fall 2026
Construction start: Anticipated in 2027

Madison Parks is working in close coordination with other City agencies, including City Engineering, to align the LakeWay improvements with the planned reconstruction of John Nolen Drive.

Please register below to attend the meeting. We look forward to hearing from you!

Meeting Registration: Madison LakeWay - Design Develpoment PIM

If you have further questions or comments, please email me at district13@cityofmadison.com.

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