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Week of April 6th

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Dear District 16 Neighbors,

Thank you to everyone who has been coming to my office hours, whether you came with a purpose or just stopped by when you saw me! It has been great to connect with so many of you. I have another set of office hours scheduled for April 9th from 4:30-6:30pm at the Ed Locke Public Library in McFarland.

Efficiency Navigator Program

Earlier this week, I joined Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway, Fitchburg Mayor Julia Aratta-Frata, Fitchburg Alder Joe Moldanado, and representatives from Sustain Dane and Elevate to kick off the Efficiency Navigator program application period. The Efficiency Navigator program provides energy efficiency, health & safety, and other upgrades to small- and medium-sized apartment buildings. These upgrades save energy, reduce operating costs for owners, and lower energy bills for residents. You can learn more about the program here.

I also had a blast at the Meadowlands Apartments Community dinner! Thank you to the fantastic team at Public Health, the local food vendors, and the community for coming together for such a wonderful evening.

Lastly, there is an incredibly important election for the State Supreme Court on Tuesday (April 7th) as well as many other important races, including Dane County Judge, County Board, City Council, and School Board! Make sure you know your polling location, review what's on your ballot, and have a plan to vote on April 7th.

As always, if you have any questions, would like to invite me to an event, or just want to get more involved with city government, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm eager to hear from you.

-Sean 


Planned Zoning Replacement with Conventional Zoning

The City is considering rezoning single-family and two-family Planned Development properties into conventional zoning districts later this year. This will include  analysis by City zoning staff to see which standard zoning districts apply to the exisiting buildings, as well as the heights, and design that are currently on those properties. Here's a link to the zoning code for those who are interested. This will affect homes in the Reston Heights Neighborhood and the Lost Creek Neighborhood. 

The City is considering making these changes because Planned Development zoning has created many barriers for residents compared to conventional zoning. Planned Development zoning is site-specific zoning, where specific use and development requirements are written for each individual Planned Development zone. Conventional zoning district rules are wholly within the City's zoning code(external) and much more transparent.  Currently, minor changes to a property should be a straightforward process to navigate—like adding an egress window or a patio space— however, these can quickly become complicated if a home is located within a Planned Development zone.

There will be public outreach starting in April, running though June, including Public Information meetings. Residents whoes properties that are affected will be sent a postcard notification of the changes and information on the public meetings. 

  • Lost Creek

    the map of the Lost Creek Neighborhood and an overlay of the planned developemnt zoning that currently exists. These houses under this proposal would be switched to a conventional zoning. 

  • Reston Heights

    A map of the Reston Heights Neighborhood and an over lay of the planned developemnt zoning that currently exists. These houses under this proposal would be switched to a conventional zoning. 

    Note that only the single and two family homes will be effected by these changes. Larger apartment buildings will not be affected at this time.

If you want to find out if your property is in a Planned Development Zoning District before post cards are sent, you can enter your address into the City of Madison Zoning District Map(link is external)or the City Assessor's Property Look-Up tool to find if your zoning district is PD. 

On March 31st, the Plan Commission gave a presentation and discussion on the process for rezoning these properties. You can watch the Plan Commission discussion about this topic here, it is item #4 on the Agenda.  If your questions were not answered in the presentation or on the project webapge please email City Zoning at zoning@cityofmadison.com. As we get closer to the public meetings I will continue to provide updates. 

Olbrich Gardens Survey

Olbrich Gardens is looking for feedback on two concepts for their comprehensive plan! This is a great way to engage and share what you want the future of Olbrich to look like. 

Complete the Online Survey

Download the Design Slides

The next Public Information Meeting for the Olbrich Gardens planning process will be May 20th at both 12:00pm and 6:00pm at Olbrich. This is where staff will present the final comprehensive plan framework. 

Police Increasing Patrols

This month, the Madison Police Department, in partnership with the Dane County Sheriff's Office, will continue conducting extra patrols focusing on enforcing Wisconsin's alcohol, speed, seatbelt, and bicycle and pedestrian laws. These additional enforcement efforts are made possible through overtime traffic grants provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The mission is to enhance public safety and prevent needless tragedies by discouraging people from making dangerous decisions and engaging in unsafe behavior while driving. 

The Madison Police Department is asking for your help in making our roads safer.  Please, put your cell phone down, buckle up, slow down, drive sober, and watch out for and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists. 

Email Lists

There is so much happening across the city, and it can be hard to stay caught up. These blogs are a fantastic tool to know what is happening in District 16, but there are also other newsletters that you can sign up for to stay in the know – whether it's from the Department of Civil Rights, daily police incident reports, a specific bus route notification, winter emergency notifications, or more! Check out this link to sign up for any newsletters that interest you!

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.

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)

  • Virtual Public Meeting to Discuss Draft Pedestrian Plan, Tuesday, April 7: A public information meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00pm to discuss the Draft Pedestrian Plan. The meeting will include an overview of the planning process, key recommendations in the plan, a description of how the public can comment on the plan, and time for questions and answers. 
  •  West Towne Shared-Use Path – Phase 2b, Thursday, April 9: The proposed project is a key segment for completion of the West Towne Shared-Use Path, which provides a safe, shared-use path facility for the growing west-side of Madison that connects the local area as well as a larger connection to regional paths in the Madison-area. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., April 9, 2026. Registration prior is required. 

Announcements and News Releases

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.

Events

  • Wisconsin Virtual TB Summit, Tuesday, April 7: Join local, state, and national tuberculosis experts as they share their work to understand and improve care for people diagnosed with TB in our community. 
  • MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Thursday, April 9: Madison Parks and MSCR are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, maintenance, conservation and more! Attend a Hiring Fair at Parks Lakeside Offices and apply and interview onsite! Make this a summer to remember! 
  • Wright Design Series - The Wright Revival: Madison's Rediscovery of Frank Lloyd Wright, Thursday, April 9: This Zoom webinar will be presented by Anna Andrzejewski is the Frank Lloyd Wright Professor of Modern American Architecture at the Department of Art History at University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She teaches courses in the history of American art, architecture and material culture.
  • Spring Home Maintenance, Thursday, April 9: Ready to tackle spring home maintenance like a pro? Our engaging course will empower you to confidently care for your home, inside and out! Learn essential skills, from maximizing your HVAC system efficiency and troubleshooting sump pump woes to prepping your roof and gutters for spring showers and revitalizing your outdoor spaces.
  • Warner Family Fun Night, Friday, April 10: Join us at WPCRC for Warner Family Fun Night! Families can create art projects, play in the gym, watch a movie or win some prizes playing bingo! 
  • Free Homebuyer Education Class (in person), Saturday, April 11: Take the first step to owning a home and join us in this Home Buyer Education Workshop. This FREE Homebuyer Education workshop takes place in-person at the Southwest Madison Employment Center, 1233 McKenna Blvd, Madison, WI 53719 on Saturday, April 11, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm! Lunch will be provided.
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen, Saturday, April 11: Pasture to Prairie History Walk ~ Join retired Madison Parks Conservation Manager Si Widstrand and Naturalist Eva Roos for a free guided nature walk to see farm fields and pastures that have been restored to native prairies and learn about their human and ecological history.  
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Turville Point, Sunday, April 12: Looking for Spring Ephemerals ~ Join Naturalist Jeff Nesta as we look for Trilliums and other beautiful early Spring Ephemeral wildflowers that take advantage of available sunlight before trees and bushes fully leaf out.  

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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Portrait of Alder Sean O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien