Updates & Week of Sept. 26 Meetings of Interest for District 2

District 2 Updates and Meetings of Interest

 

City meetings are mostly virtual with details listed in City Meetings of Interest below. Common Council meetings are hybrid so the public can attend in person or via Zoom.

 

Stay in touch with your neighbors through either Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. or Campus Area Neighborhood Assoc.

____________________________

There are three sections to this week's update:

1. District 2 Updates
2. COVID-19 Resources & Information 
3. City Meetings of Interest to District 2

____________________________

 

 

1. DISTRICT 2 UPDATES

 

 

 

• Fall 2022 Yard Waste & Leaves Set-Out Dates Now Available - Residents get three curbside collection opportunities in the fall

• Halloween on State Street - In the past few years, the City has moved away from a formal/sanctioned event for Halloween, also known as Freakfest, and again there will be no formal event this year.

• 2022 Reverend Wright Award Recipient is Wayne Strong

• Jim Wolfe Appointed as New City Engineer

• Madison Fire to Host Virtual Recruitment Open Houses

• Mayor Rhodes-Conway Announces One-Time Payment for City Employees

• Within Reach: Local Government Contracting Opportunities - a Sept. 27 virtual event for minority-owned businesses who want to do business with government agencies such as City of Madison, Dane County, or the State of Wisconsin.

• From the Mayor:

  • Seniors in Madison Empowered to Age Well During National Senior Center Month

  • City Thanks MG&E Foundation - The City's Common Council accepted a $40,000 donation from the Madison Gas and Electric (MG&E) Foundation to support a new City initiative dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness

 

• Applications Being Accepted to Fill Seventeenth Aldermanic District Vacancy - Must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3, 2022

• Vision Zero Continues Speed Reductions on a Section of Portage Rd

• General Election Sample Ballots Available - Voters can view a sample ballot for their address on the MyVote Wisconsin website.

• City of Madison Absentee Ballots in the Mail - Voters encouraged to make sure certificate is complete and ballot is returned by Election Day (Nov. 8).

• Complete Green Streets Public Presentation: Join City of Madison staff and project consultants at 7pm on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, for a virtual public presentation to share the draft Complete Green Streets framework, including priorities and decision-making elements that will shape how the City plans to design streets moving forward. More info and registration for the Zoom meeting is here.

• Free Fair Housing Trainings for Owners and Managers of Rental Property - Seminar will include information about protected classes and prohibited practices delineated by local, state and federal fair housing laws, as well as emerging issues such as sexual harassment and hate incidents in housing situations. Trainings are Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 - 8:30 to 10 a.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 - 6 to 7:30 p.m. Register here for this free online seminar or call 608-257-0853.

• Metro Public Art Project: The Madison Arts Commission is reviewing four proposals for a public art project for the Metro Transit Maintenance Facility on the corner of East Washington Ave. and South Ingersoll St. The commission is seeking community feedback on the proposals. Please complete the feedback form before noon on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Proposals and Feedback Form.

• Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge: Madison Parks is holding a public event series for the Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge! The event series is an opportunity to learn more about the design challenge, the selected teams, their progress in plan development, and the final master plan proposals. Each event will be held in person and planned to be streamed to the Madison City Channel for remote viewing.

The first of three in-person events: Design Challenge Kick-Off 

Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 @ 6:00 pm CT

Madison Central Library, Rooms 301-302, 201 W Mifflin St.

Design teams will live-stream to the event and introduce themselves and their team's unique perspective on master plan development.

 

• From City Engineering: East Isthmus and Yahara River Watershed Study: A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Oct. 6, 2022, via Zoom. Registration prior is required - Public Information Meeting Registration

• Business District Support Program: The Business District Support Program website is accepting applications on a first come, first served basis. This program will provide grant funds to eligible local organizations that can activate or reactivate business districts by promoting small businesses and other economic growth activities such as programs, assistance, and events such as markets or festivals. In addition, this grant can be for existing business associations or new groups interested in exploring or starting a new business district.

• Food Scraps Recycling: Food scraps recycling for 2022 has been extended to Oct. 25 at two farmer's market drop-off sites:
  • South Madison Farmer's Market (1602 S. Park St., Labor Temple)

    • Hours: Tuesdays, 2:00pm to 6:00pm.

  • Eastside Farmer's Market (202 S. Ingersoll St., McPike Park)

    • Hours: Tuesdays, 4:00pm to 7:00pm

 

• Save the Date: The Dane County Fire Truck Parade Returns Oct. 9!

• Save the Date: Friday, Oct. 14, Madison Night Market again partners with the Wisconsin Science Festival for Science on the Square.

 

 

District 2 Redevelopment Updates

There are currently five active redevelopment projects in District 2. Brief updates on all follow, but I will continue to post updates about each proposal as they work their way through neighborhood and city processes. If you have any questions or input, please contact me at district2@cityofmadison.com.

-- Campus-State Street Parking Garage on Lake Street --

The City continues to negotiate with Mortenson Development and other stakeholders concerning this large redevelopment proposal. Mortenson has been chosen by the City as the developer of the student-focused apartments proposed for above a new city-owned parking garage that will include a new intercity bus terminal. The existing parking garage along Lake Street will be demolished and replaced while the garage section to the east of Hawthorne Court will remain. Mortenson is proposing some beds of the approximately 700 total beds with reduced rents, but the amount of those reductions and the number of affected beds is still under negotiation with the city.

The Campus Area Neighborhood Association has formed a neighborhood steering committee to further evaluate the proposal. All are welcome to participate and CANA suggests signing up via this form. Getting on the committee's email list via that form is a great way to stay informed about the project even if you can't attend all or any of the meetings.

There have been various other public input/informational opportunities and others are expected as this proposal gets closer to starting the formal city approval process this fall. Many city entities will eventually need to approve various aspects of the proposal, including the Finance Committee, Common Council, the Landmarks Commission, the Urban Design Commission, and Plan Commission.

-- 117 to 125 N. Butler Street --

This proposal by developers Reese Fisher and Blake Fisher is expected to be at Plan Commission on Oct. 24. The developers seek to demolish three existing apartment houses and combine those lots with another lot that is vacant in order to construct a new four-story building with 32 market rate apartments comprised of studios, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units. The Downtown Residential-1 Zoning District in which this site is located allows a maximum building width of 60 feet, while the proposed width of the new building is approximately 100', hence the developers are asking for a rezoning to Downtown Residential-2 that does not limit building width. They also will need a Demolition Permit, Conditional Use Permit and Certified Survey Map approval.

The James Madison Park District of CNI has met once with the development team to discuss the proposal. I anticipate that they will meet again to form their feedback/input to the Plan Commission. I will publish more details on Plan Commission's upcoming consideration as we get closer to October 24.

-- St John's Lutheran Church --

The neighborhood steering committee from the James Madison Park District of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., met this past week to receive an update from the development team for this site at 322 E. Washington Ave. St. John's proposes to demolish their current building; construct worship and social service/community spaces on the first floor of a new building with 9 stories of mostly affordable and workforce apartments above, and underground parking below.

The development team, which includes Mark Binkowski and Brad Binkowski (both of ULI), Potter Lawson (architects), and St. John's, indicated that if the proposal is approved, they do not plan to break ground until late summer of 2023. They plan to file their demolition and land use applications on Sept. 26, so they will start going through city approval processes this fall. They also will be competing for City Affordable Housing Funds and WHEDA tax credits to provide financing for building the affordable units.

I anticipate that the steering committee will continue to work with the development team on design, potential traffic impacts on the E. Mifflin Bike Boulevard, impacts on adjacent structures, etc.

-- 668 State Street --

668 State LLC is seeking approvals to construct a four-story addition atop the existing two-story commercial building at 668 State St. The proposed addition will contain 24 student-oriented apartments on floors 3-6 with floors 5 and 6 set back approximately 30' from the front façade. The existing commercial space on the two lower floors and in a finished basement will largely remain. No automobile parking is proposed; parking for 26 bicycles will be provided.

The Campus Area Neighborhood Association is forming a neighborhood steering committee to further evaluate the proposal. To sign up for that committee, please complete this google form. If you have questions, thoughts, or input on this proposal, I encourage you to sign up for the CANA committee so you can stay informed as the development proposal goes through the city approval process.

Note that this proposal was submitted in 2017 and was fully approved, but the project did not move forward at that time. The property owner is submitting the same project as was approved in 2017. They anticipate submitting their city applications this fall and the project will require approvals from the Urban Design Commission and Plan Commission.

-- Corner E. Johnson & N. Butler Streets --

This proposal by developer Kaba Baal LLC has been on pause since shortly after a May 2 neighborhood meeting. The developer is seeking City of Madison Forward Housing Rental funds that, if awarded, and other financing secured, could require most or all residents to have 60% of Dane County Median Income or less with rental rates reduced appropriately. Because the Forward Housing Rental awards are competitive and because the competition is stiff, the City has not awarded all of the funds for 2022 as they wait to judge the feasibility and chances of success of the remaining applicants. I anticipate that we should hear soon about possible paths forward for this proposal.

As presented in May, the building would be a mixture of studios, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units in a new 4-story residential building with 32 to 48 apartments with parking underneath. The developer would need a Demolition Permit for four buildings (301 & 305 E. Johnson and 145 & 149 N. Butler), as well as likely Plan Commission approval of Conditional Uses, a Certified Survey Map, and any requested zoning changes.

-- 428 to 444 State Street --

JD McCormick Properties' proposal to redevelop 428 to 444 State Street has been on pause since after it appeared for approval at the Urban Design Commission on June 29. UDC voted then to refer the proposal to a future meeting rather than making an advisory recommendation to Plan Commission. With no UDC recommendation Plan Commission will need to wait for UDC to discuss the proposal and presumably make a recommendation at some future date. I have not heard of the developer's anticipated schedule or plan of action. 

Urban Design Commissioners raised concerns mostly about the proposal's impact on the adjacent Lisa Link Peace Park, the height and massing of the building's front facade, and establishing the precedent of replacing State Street buildings. If the UDC eventually does make a recommendation, Plan Commission will consider the Demolition Permit Application and requested Conditional Uses. 

A steering committee of the Mansion Hill District of Capitol Neighborhoods,  Inc. (CNI) has evaluated the proposal and did submit a report to UDC, but I anticipate that the delay and any changes could result in some modifications to the steering committee report.

 

Finance to Consider Capital Budget Amendments on Wednesday

On Wednesday, Sept. 28, the Finance Committee will consider 10 amendments submitted by alders to the Mayor's 2023 Executive Capital Budget. See "Details" for the Finance Committee meeting below in "City Meetings of Interest" if you'd like to watch and/or give public comment. The amendments that pass the Finance Committee will be considered for final approval by Common Council at our Nov. 15, 16, and possibly 17 budget meetings. Alders may also submit budget amendments for consideration after the Finance Committee's work is done; those amendments would also be considered at the November Council meetings.

Note that the Capital Budget provides funding for the City's major construction projects including building new facilities, improving our transit system, maintaining our roads and parks, and purchasing major equipment.

Wednesday's amendments are for the Capital Budget only. The Mayor's Executive Operating Budgets for 2023 will be released on Oct. 10 with the Finance Committee holding Oct. 17 and 18 public hearings on that budget. The Finance Committee's deliberations on any amendments to the Executive Operating Budget will occur on Oct. 31.

The Operating Budget provides money for running city departments and services. It pays for the day-to-day spending on employees, materials, and supplies. You can find a wealth of information on both the Capital and Operating Budgets at the Finance Department's budget website.

____________________________

2. COVID-19 RESOURCES & INFORMATION

From Public Health Madison & Dane County:

• Appointments Now Available for Updated COVID Boosters
• Bivalent Boosters have Arrived! Why They're Important & Where to Find Them
• COVID-19 vaccine webpage
• Learn about the many testing sites in Dane County (in Spanish)
• COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• The latest Data Notes - including "Cases increased during this 14-day period with an average of 125 confirmed cases per day."

 

Dane CORE - for rental and utility assistance. Dane County and the City of Madison were notified this week that our requests for additional emergency rental assistance funds have been approved. That means more federal funds will soon be available to continue the Dane CORE 2.0 program. The Dane CORE 2.0 application portal, which temporarily closed on Sept. 15, will re-open at 12:00 am CST on Wednesday, Oct. 5 for persons interested in submitting new applications and additional funding requests (AFR's).

Applications received prior to the Sept. 15 pause will continue to be processed without interruption and eligible claims will be paid. Anyone wishing to review the status of an application that has already been submitted to see if there are any open tasks and that all information is up to date should log into Neighborly.

Free COVID Tests at Home - It's still possible to get free at-home COVID tests mailed to you. Take a look here.

Visit the City's Coronavirus Website for Madison's COVID updates, responses and resources.

Dane County Food Pantry Network from Community Action Coalition.

State of Wisconsin COVID-19 resources and information from state agencies, including the State Dept. Public Health

Info on UW-Madison's response to the pandemic.

____________________________

3. CITY MEETINGS OF INTEREST TO DISTRICT 2

Below are some pertinent agenda items from city committees that are meeting this week. If you click on meeting "Details" below, you will find participation and viewing options, and a link to the full meeting agenda. If you click on an item from within an agenda, you will see all documents that relate to that item.

 

I appreciate hearing from you on any agenda items on which you have a particular interest or concern.

___________________________

 

Committee on Aging: Details

2:30pm, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

Agenda Item 3

Property Tax Assistance for Older Adults

 

Agenda Item 4

NewBridge Services for Older Adults

 

REPORTS

 

Agenda Item 5

MSC Report Highlights

___________________________

 

Finance Committee: Details

4:30pm, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022

 

CONSENT AGENDA

 

Agenda Item 1

PUBLIC COMMENT

 

REGULAR FINANCE COMMITTEE AGENDA

 

Agenda Item 18

Amending the 2022 Operating Budget to Increase Staff for Public Health Madison and Dane County to Expand Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

 

Agenda Item 21

Approving the selection of Porchlight, Inc. as the operator of a new facility, to be constructed by the City, to provide emergency shelter and supportive services primarily to male-identifying persons in Madison and Dane County that experience homelessness, and to authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into any agreements and contracts with Porchlight, Inc. necessary to fulfill that purpose.

 

Agenda Item 22

Approving the provision of up to $62,000 from the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) grant Isthmus Safety Initiative (ISI) to support the development and execution of a Isthmus Safety Initiative (ISI) program in Madison's Downtown and authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to enter into agreements with the selected agency to implement the designated project.

 

Agenda Item 30

Adopting and confirming the Labor Agreement between the City of Madison and the Madison Professional Police Officer Association (MPPOA) for the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2025.y Clerk to enter into any agreements and contracts with Porchlight, Inc. necessary to fulfill that purpose.

 

CAPITAL BUDGET DELIBERATIONS

 

Agenda Item 31

2023 Executive Capital Budget

Note: All materials for this item can be found here.

___________________________

 

Plan Commission: Details

5:00pm, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022

 

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PLAN COMMISSION

 

SPECIAL ITEM OF BUSINESS

 

Agenda Item 2

Presentation by the Capital Area Regional Plan Commission (CARPC) staff on the Regional Development Framework

 

Agenda Item 3

Staff presentation and discussion related to potential changes to the Zoning Code's Family Definition

___________________________