West Area Plan, Odana Area Plan, Kettle Pond and Other Highlights for the Week of February 6, 2023

Common Council Meeting

The Common Council will meet in hybrid format, Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:30 PM. 

• Meeting details
• Meeting agenda
• Written Comments
• Watch online

West Area Plan: Help shape the future of your neighborhood - Starting This Week

The City of Madison invites residents, community organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders to join in the public planning process for the West Area Plan. The City is hosting kick-off meetings for both areas, with in-person and virtual alternatives for attending. Staff will provide an overview of background information and gather input from community members about issues and opportunities in the respective planning areas.

West Area Plan Public Meetings

• Virtual Meeting: Monday, February 6 at 12:00pm. Registration is required and can be completed on the project webpage.

• In-Person Meeting: Thursday, February 9 at 6:00pm. In-person meeting location at Vel Phillips Memorial High School, 201 S. Gammon Rd., Wisconsin Neighborhood Center; enter front doors and look for directional signs. This meeting will have interpretation, childcare and food.

• Virtual Meeting: Monday, February 13 at 6:00pm. Registration is required and can be completed on the project webpage.

More information:

• Press Release:  New Model for City Planning – Madison Kicks off West and Northeast Area Plans

ODANA AREA PLAN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

Planning staff has been working with Traffic Engineering and Engineering staff to draft official mapping and proactive rezoning maps and language, as recommended in the Odana Area Plan. Alder Tishler and I have sponsored introduction of these items at Council.  Official mapping was referred to:

Transportation Policy and Planning Board (TPPB) on Monday, Feb 6

• Meeting details
• Meeting agenda
• Written Comments
• Watch online

Board of Public Works (BPW) on Wednesday, Feb 8

• Meeting details
• Meeting agenda
• Written Comments
• Watch online

Plan Commission on Monday, Feb 27

• Meeting details
• Written Comments
• Watch online

Interested parties may register to speak and/or provide comments to TPPB and BPW via the links above.  Comments may also be provided to the Plan Commission; a registration link will be available once the agenda is posted closer to the meeting date.   

The proactive rezoning will be on the 2/27 Plan Commission agenda only, before both return to Council on 3/7.

Second Family Definition Community Informational Meeting on Monday

Building Inspection staff will be hosting an additional community informational meeting about the proposed legislation to revise the family definition in our zoning code. These meetings are intended to provide information to community members about the proposal and to answer questions about it.

• Monday, February 6 at 6:00 PM: You are invited to a Zoom meeting. Please register in advance.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Read more about the legislation.

A recording of the meeting on Thursday, Feb 2 is available on City Channel.

There is also a website about the proposal here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/bi/family-definition-revision/3897/

To see the full list of City meetings scheduled for the week, please consult the City meeting schedule.

habitat restoration work at Kettle Pond

The Parks Division has shared an update about current work at Kettle Pond Conservation Park:

Parks has hired Field and Stream Restorations to forestry mow brush in the northern portion of the park. We are doing this to maintain and expand the tallgrass prairie habitat that occurs there.  The forestry mowing will also extend southward around the east and west edges of the park, where there are dense populations of honeysuckle and porcelain-berry. (See map) Forestry mowing these areas now will help us better control these invasive species in the long term.  

This work will be complemented by hand cutting buckthorn and honeysuckle inside the trail loop around the pond. This will provide control of these invasive species, while retaining as much native shrub cover as possible. This will preserve important habitat for migrating (and resident) birds.

In the spring and summer, we will focus heavily on controlling garlic mustard and dame's rocket.  Dense patches of these two species will be sprayed with herbicide, but areas where they are more scattered will be pulled by hand.  Many volunteers have been working on these two species for several years.  We hope to support and advance this work, and greatly reduce the abundance of these weeds. 

Work next summer will also include spraying herbicide on the leaves of invasive shrubs that re-sprout after the forestry mowing.  Plants will be sprayed when they are still very small, in order to use as little herbicide as possible.  An herbicide containing triclopyr will be used.  This chemical kills broad-leaved plants, but does not affect any surrounding grasses and sedges.  This helps us begin to re-establish a diverse native plant community, including native shrubs that will be planted in portions of the park in the next few years.  

Other News

• 2023 Spring Primary Election - Several offices on the ballot this spring require a primary election on Feb. 21. District 19 has two candidates running for Alder, so there won't be a Feb. 21 primary for that election, but there will be for in the Mayoral and State Supreme Court elections. The Council website allows you to find out which Aldermanic district you live in.  If you live in Aldermanic districts 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, or 20, you will see the primary races for your district on your ballot.

• In-Person Absentee Voting Starts Tuesday in Madison: In-person absentee voting for the Spring Primary Election will begin Tuesday, Feb. 7, at several locations throughout the City of Madison. 

• There's Still Time to Get Your Flu Vaccine and More City News

• Celebrate Black History Month at Madison Public Library: February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements by African Americans and a time to honor the central role of black Americans throughout history and in the present day. For a full list of events, displays and activities, visit the Madison Public Library's Black History Month page.

• Voices of Color: A virtual presentation hosted by Melvin Hinton and sponsored by the Madison Senior Center. On Feb. 16 at 10am, we welcome Dr. Linda Vakunta, Deputy Mayor.

• Metro Transit Celebrates Transit Equity Day

• Get the latest version of Metro Rider Updates, including the plan for updating all bus routes on June 11.

• City's Partnership with Project Home Will Lead to More Home Renovations for Low-to-Moderate Income Families

• Monona Terrace Call for Sculpture Artist Submissions

• Call for Artists: Exhibition Application for Madison Public Library 2023-2024

• From the Mayor: Stay Informed with Madison's NEW Vision Zero Quarterly Newsletter

• News and Events From Madison Parks: Ice Skating Update and Free Events

• Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge: Take the Survey: The three design teams have presented their vision for Madison's Lake Monona Waterfront. See the proposals, watch the recorded presentations and take the survey!

• Next John Nolen Drive Public Information Meeting: Feb. 23 - The City of Madison invites the community to the next public information meeting for the upcoming reconstruction for John Nolen Drive.

• A New Way to Step into the Infrastructure Industry: The City of Madison Engineering Division has a new infrastructure program, Madison Infrastructure Training - Engineering Program, also known as the MI-TE Program.

• The 2023 Neighborhood Grant Program is Open! The guidelines and application are now on the City's webpage! See the News Story for more info. Applications are due Feb. 20 by 4:30 p.m.

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If you have questions, comments, suggestions, etc., feel free to reach out: district19@cityofmadison.com

-Keith F