If You Missed “When Plans Come Together”

Were you unable to attend or register for my public information meeting last Tuesday, October 21? It was titled “When Plans Come Together: How a Series of City Actions is Transforming the Odana Rd Corridor into a Residential Neighborhood!" We explored how a series of city actions has spurred the development of housing in the neighborhood between Mineral Point Rd and the Beltline and between West Towne Mall and the former Westgate Mall. Principal Planner Kevin Firchow and Community Development Specialist Matt Frater assisted me in reviewing the policies and twenty-six housing projects in the neighborhood.

You can watch the recording here. We encourage you to share this recording with your colleagues via email and on your social media accounts. The recording includes the full presentation, as well as the Q&A session with attendees. A .pdf version of the presentation is available here.

Some of the questions from Tuesday’s Q&A included but were not limited to:

• For the buildings in planning/early approval, how is the number of affordable units determined? Is it based on the amount of money the developer gets from the city?
• Aside from the one project with townhomes, is any work being done to create affordable owner-occupied housing?
• There are quite a few areas ripe for redevelopment that are 'stuck' in Employment designated areas, where demand from office users is non-existent.  Is the staff open to housing in these areas? 
• With all the development along Odana Rd, when does Traffic Engineering get involved in the process?
• Are there estimates of the number of school-aged children that might be added as a result of the developments?
• With all these new units in this area, is there planning for parks or dog parks to serve these residents?

While the presentation focused on policy impacts in Districts 9, 11 and 19, those policies are also accelerating housing development in other neighborhoods. For more details about the projects highlighted in yesterday’s presentation, please visit the Planning page on the City of Madison's DCEPD Planning website. For updates on community progress toward housing goals, residents can check out the Housing Tracker. Additionally, for more information about CDD programs and services related to housing, please visit: https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/community-development/housing. Please share these resources with interested parties.

Send any additional questions directly to Alder John P. Guequierre at district19@cityofmadison.com or to Kevin Firchow at KFirchow@cityofmadison.com.