Near West Side Alders Meet & Greet, 2025 Housing Snapshot Report, and more updates

Hi Everyone,

In talking with District 13 residents, it's apparent the terrible tragedy that occurred on S. Park St. earlier this month is on many of your minds. I share that burden, the deep sadness over the death of 17-year-old Sasha Rosen.

While there are improvements that can and will be made on S. Park St. to make it safer for all users, those improvements will take time. In the meantime, it's incumbent upon all of us to contribute to a culture of traffic safety.

In other words, when driving don't prioritize your destination over the lives of pedestrians, bicyclists, and fellow drivers. Approach crosswalks and intersections with caution. Drive the speed limit and put down your cell phones. 

This is something we all can do. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important.

Here are this week's updates and event highlights:

Near West Alders Meet & Greet Scheduled for February 23

Join us for a casual meet-and-greet with Near West Alders Regina Vidaver (District 5), Bil Tishler (District 11), and, yours truly, Tag Evers (District 13) on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM. This event will take place in the community room at the Midtown District Police Station, 4020 Mineral Point Rd, Madison, WI 53705. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect, share your thoughts, and engage with your community leaders. Light beverages and refreshments will be provided. Please register in advance through Eventbrite!  

2025 Housing Snapshot Report

The City of Madison's Department of Planning, Community, and Economic Development has published its 2025 Housing Snapshot report, providing the latest insights into the city's housing trends. It's clear we are making progress in tackling our housing shortage as the vacancy rate for rentals, which was lower than 2% just a few years ago, is now close to 5%. However, the vacancy rate for owner-occupied homes remains lower than the national average, which puts more pressure on the rental market. And purchasing a home remains extremely challenging and increasingly beyond the reach of first-time homebuyers. 

In short, while we are making progress, there's still a lot of work to do to address the affordability crisis in the Madison housing market.

Updates and Notices 

Seed Grants – Due February 20: The Mayor's Office is now accepting applications for SEED grants. Any proposal that improves the local food system and makes food more accessible for City of Madison residents will be considered. Submit your application to the Madison Food Policy Council via email (mfpc@cityofmadison.com).  

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings 

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page. 

• Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, February 16, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include financing the development of up to 27 affordable owner-occupied housing units and funding five homeownership service programs. 
• Meeting Details 
• Meeting Agenda 
• Register for Public Comment 
• Watch Online 
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, February 16, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 2, 12, 15, and 19. 
• Meeting Details 
• Meeting Agenda 
• Register for Public Comment 
• Watch Online 

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here. 

Public Information Meetings (PIMs) 

• Madison-McFarland Intergovernmental Agreement Meeting (Madison residents),Monday, February 16: The City of Madison and the Village of McFarland are considering whether to enter into an intergovernmental agreement to address issues of mutual concern surrounding our shared border and to plan for how growth may occur in the future. The City and Village previously had an agreement in place that expired in 2018. 
• Park Badger Redevelopment Community Meeting (Virtual), Tuesday, February 17: The Community Development Authority and its private partners have released updated designs for the Park Badger redevelopment project, located at the northwest corner of South Park Street and West Badger Road on Madison's South Side. A virtual session will be held on Zoom from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, February 17.  Registration will be required to receive a link to the virtual meeting. 
• Park Badger Redevelopment Community Meeting (In Person),Wednesday, February 18: The Community Development Authority and its private partners have released updated designs for the Park Badger redevelopment project, located at the northwest corner of South Park Street and West Badger Road on Madison's South Side. The in-person session will be held from 12:30pm to 2:00pm at the Madison College Goodman South Campus on Wednesday, February 18. 

Announcements and News Releases 

• Building Community in Affordable Housing: Each year, the Community Development Division issues a competitive Request for Proposals to offer approximately $10 million in support to developers that aim to build affordable housing to serve Madison's most vulnerable populations. In 2025, a total of 425 future rental homes received City subsidies, 260 of which will offer permanent affordability to those with qualified incomes.  
• Madison Fire Department Announces Timeline for Next Firefighter/EMT Hiring Process: The Madison Fire Department will be accepting applications for the position of Firefighter/EMT beginning April 1. The application period will close on May 26. [posted February 13] 
• Intermittent Elevator Outages at Overture Center Garage on February 16: ProAxis will perform scheduled exterior maintenance on the elevator hoistway at the City of Madison Overture Center Garage on Monday, February 16, 2026, from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. The work includes replacing the header and window barrier on the… [posted February 13] 
• City of Madison Celebrates Adult School Crossing Guard Recognition Week: The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has officially declared February 16–20, 2026, as Adult School Crossing Guard Recognition Week. The City of Madison is proud to recognize the 65 crossing guards who faithfully serve at intersections… [posted February 13] 
• Community Development Authority updates plans for Park Badger redevelopment: The Community Development Authority and its partners have released updated designs for the Park Badger redevelopment project. [posted February 13] 
• How to identify unmarked squad cars, officers: MADISON, Wis.— The Madison Police Department is making some changes to help members of the public identify staff as local officers. Our department has received a lot of questions recently on how people can tell the difference between MPD officers and… [posted February 11] 
• Safer Internet Day: Being AI aware: The Madison Police Department is encouraging parents and guardians to talk to children about safe internet practices. In 2003, the European Union launched the first Safer Internet Day, and it has grown to more than 100 countries. The nonprofit… [posted February 10] 
• Share your thoughts on Public Art for the Far West Operations Facility: The City of Madison and the Madison Arts Commission are seeking community feedback on a design proposal by The Milligan Studio for the Far West Operations Facility at 402 South Point Road. [posted February 10] 
• Two-Time National Book Award Winner Jesmyn Ward Headlines Lunch for Libraries on May 5: MacArthur Fellowship recipient and New York Times bestselling author Jesmyn Ward is announced as the speaker for Madison Public Library Foundation's spring fundraiser, Lunch for Libraries, which will take place May 5 at Monona Terrace. [posted February 10] 
• 2025 Housing Snapshot report published: The City of Madison’s Department of Planning, Community, and Economic Development has published its 2025 Housing Snapshot report, providing the latest insights into the city’s housing trends. [posted February 9] 

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted. 

That's all for now.

Take care and stay safe,

Tag