Door Creek Park Shelter Project

Greetings friends and neighbors, 

I received a recent inquiry about a notification sent by the City's Planning staff and thought it'd be a good opportunity to provide up-to-date information about the Door Creek Park Shelter Project. 

Residents who live in proximity to Door Creek Park may recall recently receiving a mailed postcard from City of Madison Planning Staff. The postcard indicated the Plan Commission would be holding a public hearing to change the zoning of property located at 7151-7145 Littlemore Dr., 7202 Cottage Grove Rd., 851 Harrington Dr. and 6901 Bluff Point Dr, from CN (Conservancy) District to PR (Parks and Recreation) District, and served to notify residents of the proposal and it's public hearing before Plan Commission at it's September 19, 2022 meeting. 

Due to an issue beyond the City's control, two public hearing notices, (which included the park shelter public hearing) were not published as required by the Zoning Code and could not be heard as previously scheduled. Instead, the public hearing will be heard at the Plan Commission's next meeting on October 3, 2022. 

When this project started, Door Creek Park was within the boundaries of District 3. It is now a D16 park as a result of redistricting. Here is a recap of what I know about the project:

• City Parks Division staff held a series of public meetings in late 2021 to refine the design of the new multi-season shelter
• In February 2022, the Urban Design Commission approved the community-selected option, and Parks began work to release the project for public works bidding 
• Construction is anticipated to begin in the third quarter of 2023, with the building open and available for reservations in 2024
• The project includes a zoning map amendment and conditional use request for the new shelter (this is what the postcard was informing you and neighbors of)
• During the 2013 city-wide zoning update, Door Creek Park was zoned as a Conservancy District, which is typically used for our conservation parks
• As the park is categorized as a community park, the Parks Division is requesting a zoning amendment to change the park from Conservancy District (CN) to Parks and Recreation (PR)
• The PR zoning is used for our community parks and aligns with existing and future uses at Door Creek
• The amendment is necessary to construct the new shelter as it is not a permissible improvement under its current (CN) zoning

There is also a website for the project which includes zoning amendment information and the UDC approved shelter design. 

This rezoning is a necessary step to build the park shelter. If approved by the Plan Commission, the proposal will be before the Council for final approval at it's meeting on October 11, 2022. 

If you have questions, concerns or feedback to provide about the zoning amendment, I encourage you to register for the October 3rd Plan Commission Meeting. Once it becomes available, I will make sure to provide information about the meeting including how to register in support, opposition, and/or to provide public comment. You may also feel free to contact me directly with questions, concerns, and/or feedback. 

All the best,

Jael