Updates & Week of Oct. 17 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.

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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

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1. DISTRICT 2 UPDATES

 

 

 

• Mayor's Operating Budget Focuses on Building a Safer Community, Healthier Neighborhoods, and Opportunities for Youth

• Project Update: Blair Street South - The team is prepping the outbound lanes of E. Washington Avenue for anticipated reopening next week.

• Brush Collection Over for 2022 - Brush is woody material you have cut from your trees, shrubs, or bushes that measure at least 18 inches in length. Yard waste & leaf collection starts is underway. Get the dates when you should set out your leaves and yard waste for pickup here.

• City of Madison Police Civilian Oversight Board Announces Hiring of Independent Police Monitor

• Electric Compactor Names to be Revealed October 21, 2022

• October 15th is White Cane Safety Day in Madison

• From Public Health: Monkeypox Update

• Public Health Urges Breast Cancer Screening

• Project Update: East Isthmus and Yahara River Watershed Study - including a recording of last week's Public Information Meeting. 

• Save the Date: Monday, Oct 24, 6:00pm, Public Information Meeting on Near West Watershed Study - this area includes much of District and points west.

• Madison Forward Fund Providing Direct Assistance to Low-Income Pilot Program Recipients

• Engineering Launches Digiseries 'Street Meets' - including a video on the South Blair Street Reconstruction Project.

• Madison's latest Vision Zero Quarterly Newsletter is available, including information on Safe Systems, the Budget Process for Safety Projects, Vision Zero Reconstruction Projects and Data Showing Progress, 20 is Plenty, Let's Talk Streets, and Complete Green Streets.

• From Madison Parks: News and Events

• Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation Parks: Spotlight on Cherokee Marsh

• From the Mayor: Dane County Climate Champions - I'd like to congratulate our City Engineering Facilities staff and the 87 other Climate Champions in 77 organizations that were recognized by Dane County last week. 

• Madison Public Library's Popular Program Celebrating Native Nations Returns October-December 2022

• In-Person Absentee Voting (Early Voting) begins at Madison Public Library on Tuesday, Oct. 25 and continues through Sunday, Nov. 6 in multiple locations. Voter registration is also available during this time (excluding Nov. 5 and 6) and voters can return absentee ballots, as well. Check online for available dates and times here.

• Acceptable Photo ID to Vote - As you prepare for the General Election on November 8, the City of Madison Clerk's Office wants to remind you what types of photo ID you can use for voting in Wisconsin.

• Six Resumes Received for District 17 Common Council Vacancy - Council Executive Committee Will Meet on Oct. 20th to Recommend Interim Alder

• Info, Resources, and a Calendar of Important Dates for Those Considering Running in the Spring 2023 Common Council Elections can be found here.

• October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a way to bring advocates across the nation together to end domestic violence.? If you or someone you know feels unsafe in a relationship, help is available 24 hours a day by calling (608) 251-4445 or texting (608) 420-4638.  In an emergency, please call 911. For more resources, please visit https://abuseintervention.org/

• Save the Date: Wednesday, Oct. 26, Downtown Madison Family Halloween

• Save the Date: Saturday, Nov. 19, the Seasonal Lighting Celebration - Shine On Madison returns with a Madison Night Market Mini Market!

• Heads Up: The Madison Marathon will take place on Sunday morning, Nov. 13, starting at 7:00am. The races will impact bike, vehicular, and bus routes in the downtown area and elsewhere.

 

UW-Madison Homecoming Parade & Fireworks on Friday, Oct. 21

The UW 2022 Homecoming Parade will begin at 6pm on Friday, Oct. 21, lasting about one hour. Some traffic impacts will start in the afternoon because the parade will line up on lower Langdon Street. Once moving, the parade will go up Langdon to Wisconsin Avenue, take Wisconsin to W. Gilman Street, take Gilman to State Street, ending at Lake Street, Traffic on those and nearby streets will be impacted as these streets will be closed and/or traffic diverted at times.

There will also be a 15-minute fireworks show launched from Lake Mendota off Memorial Union after the parade. The fireworks will start at dusk. Get more information here.

 

 

Existing N. Butler Street Structures

 

 

Proposed N. Butler Street Building

 

N. Butler Street Redevelopment Proposal to Plan Commission on Oct. 24

The proposal for 117 through 125 N. Butler Street submitted by developers Reese Fisher and Blake Fisher will be considered by Plan Commission at our Oct. 24 meeting. 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 developers have applied for a Demolition Permit, a rezoning of the parcels, a Conditional Use Permit, and approval of Certified Survey Map.

The current zoning, Downtown Residential-1, allows a maximum building width of 60 feet, while the proposed width of the new building is 104'10", hence the developers are asking for a rezoning to Downtown Residential-2 which does not limit building width. Some members of the James Madison Park District steering committee that met to give input on the proposal expressed concerns that opening up Butler St to a wider building will promote demolitions of other homes that are appropriately scaled for the neighborhood and offer affordable rents, all to make way for additional redevelopments that may also ask for a rezoning to be able to build wider buildings. Other committee members believed that the creation of more badly needed housing outweighs the concerns about possibly losing more traditional neighborhood housing to redevelopment. Those members also felt that the existing buildings were at the end of their useful lives. Note that the height of any new buildings on this block of Butler or elsewhere downtown still have to follow the Downtown Height Map limits, as this proposal does.

In August the Landmarks Commission voted to approve recommendations to Plan Commission concerning the proposed demolitions of the three multi flats at 117, 123, and 125 N. Butler Street to make way for the proposed redevelopment. Landmarks commissioners recommended that the buildings at 117 and 123 N. Butler Street have historic value related to the vernacular context of Madison's built environment, but the buildings themselves are not historically, architecturally, or culturally significant. They also recommended that the building at 125 N. Butler Street has no known historic value. The Landmarks Commission is advisory to the Plan Commission for demolition proposals, so Plan Commission expected to make the official determination concerning the demolition applications at our Oct. 24 meeting.

Plan Commission will also consider a Conditional Use Permit for the proposal that is required because the redevelopment proposes a multi-family with more than 8 dwelling units in what is proposed to be in the DR2 zoning district. There will also be an agenda item requesting approval of a Certified Survey Map (CSM) that would combine the four parcels into one.

The James Madison Park District of CNI has issued a report to the Plan Commission and city staff. I'll be sure to post a link to that report in next weekend's Alder Update. Project plans and the development team's land use application can be found here. If you have any questions or input, please contact me at district2@cityofmadison.com.

 

Last Virtual Community Session on the 2023 Budget

The city's budget for 2023 will be debated and adopted by the Common Council in November. In addition to public comment opportunities at Finance Committee and Council meetings over the next six weeks, there will be two virtual community sessions on the budget. City Finance staff will provide background information on the city's capital and operating budget process, including highlights of the 2023 executive budget. This is a great opportunity for residents to learn more about our city's budget. Electronic copies of budget information can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budget/2023. Another virtual community sessions on the 2023 budget will be held on Monday, Oct. 24, starting at 5:30 PM and ending at 7:00 PM. ?

• Join the October 24 virtual community session
• Live stream the October 24 virtual community session

 

Three Additional District 2 Redevelopments Following Similar Timetables

Three District 2 redevelopment projects are wending their way through neighborhood and city processes and are expected to be in front of the Urban Design Commission and Plan Commission on the same dates. All three of these proposals are expected to be considered by:

• Urban Design Commission on Nov. 9
• Plan Commission on Nov. 21

 

If you have input or questions about any of these projects, feel free to contact me at district2@cityofmadison.com or contact the neighborhood steering committees as noted below.

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

The City continues to negotiate with Mortenson Development and other stakeholders concerning this large redevelopment proposal at 415 N. Lake St. This student-focused apartment building proposed for above a new city-owned parking garage 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. The land use application and project plans can be found here.

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.

------ St John's Lutheran Church

St. John's Lutheran Church at 322 E. Washington Avenue and their development partners, Urban Land Interests (ULI) and Potter Lawson, propose to demolish their current church and 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 original church, built in 1905-1906 with additions/modifications that were completed in 1925 and 1962-1963, was designed by notable Madison architectural firm Claude and Starck in the Gothic Revival style, but only a small portion of the original design remains visible on N Hancock St. The staff report on the proposed demolition can be found here while the application and project plans are here.

A neighborhood steering committee from the James Madison Park District of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., has been meeting with the development team to evaluate the proposal and provide input. If you'd like to participate please email bob.klebba@gmail.com

------- 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 land use application and project plans can be found here.

The Campus Area Neighborhood Association has formed a neighborhood steering committee to further evaluate the proposal. To sign up for that committee, please complete this google form.

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.

 

Dick Wagner To Be Honored in Park Dedication

In December 2021, Madison lost R. Richard Wagner, a public servant and community leader. On Friday, Oct. 21, the community is invited to join U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Alder Michael Verveer and friends as we honor the legacy of Dick Wagner in a park dedication ceremony.

Wagner authored We've Been Here All Along: Wisconsin's Early Gay History (2019) and Coming Out, Moving Forward: Wisconsin's Recent Gay History (2020). He was a founding member and served on the boards of numerous local and national organizations, including the Olbrich Botanical Society and Fair Wisconsin. As one of the first openly gay officials in the nation, Mr. Wagner was a founding member of the National Association and Conference of Gay and Lesbian Public Officials (now Victory Institute) and co-hosted the 5th annual conference in Madison with now Senator, Tammy Baldwin.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway declared June 25, 2019, as R. Richard Wagner Day in a Mayoral Proclamation honoring his long-time work for the community. At his passing in December 2021, Mayor Rhodes-Conway expressed in a statement, "he was a kind and generous man who treated everyone with respect and dignity. His loss will be felt for many years."

Wagner may be best described by his long-time friend, Mark Webster. "Dick Wagner was the gentile revolutionary who changed the landscape of Madison," Webster shared, "and was a national pioneer for LGBTQ rights and did both with intellectual horsepower and old-fashioned civility."

On Friday, October 21, we will honor his legacy in a park dedication ceremony, renaming Kerr-McGee Triangle Park to R. Richard Wagner Park. The community is invited to attend.

R. Richard Wagner Park Dedication

Friday, October 21, 2022 • 1:30pm
R. Richard Wagner Park (formerly Kerr-McGee Triangle Park)
728 Jenifer St., Madison, WI

Parking: Guest arriving by car for the event, may find street parking or use the Madison Elks Lodge parking lot, 711 Jenifer St.

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2. COVID-19 RESOURCES & INFORMATION

From Public Health Madison & Dane County:

• The Bivalent Boosters Shouldn't Be a Secret - The data tell us that many people don't know about the new boosters or are unsure if they are eligible.
• COVID-19 vaccine webpage
• Learn about the many testing sites in Dane County (in Spanish)
• COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• The latest Data Notes

 

Dane CORE - for rental and utility assistance. The Dane CORE 2.0 application portal is open for persons interested in submitting new applications and additional funding requests (AFR's). Applications received prior to Sept. 15 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.

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.

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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.

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Finance Committee: Details

4:30pm, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022

 

REGULAR FINANCE COMMITTEE AGENDA

 

Agenda Item 2

Adopting and Approving the Independent Police Monitor contract for confirmation of a five-year term.

 

Agenda Item 3

Submitting the appointment of James Wolfe for confirmation of a five-year term as the City Engineer.

 

Agenda Item 6

Approving and Adopting an Updated Policy for Assessing Street Improvements. (Citywide)

 

Agenda Item 7

Amending Sections 10.09(1) and (2) of the Madison General Ordinances to Address Changes to the Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter Special Assessment Procedures.

 

Agenda Item 8

Resolution Authorizing the Acceptance of Funds from the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services to support the Madison Forward Fund and authorizing the Director for Public Health to sign a non-competitive contract with the City of Madison for a Madison Forward Fund Program Manager and community outreach costs associated with the program. 

 

Agenda Item 9

Amending the 2022 Public Health Operating Budget to accept $128,429 from the WI Department of Health Services to expand syringe services and harm reduction.

 

Agenda Item 10

A Resolution authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to enter into a multiyear, competitively selected service contract with A2Z Design LLC for On-Call Marketing Services to educate the public in regards to the Metro Transit Network Redesign and BRT Project.

 

Agenda Item 12

Removing Student Housing Restrictions from the City of Madison Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Policy

 

OPERATING BUDGET BRIEFINGS

 

Agenda Item 17

2023 Executive Operating Budget

Note: The schedule of agency presentations for this meeting and the presentations can be found here. The committee will be seeing presentations and asking questions, but no actions will be taken on the Operating Budget until the Finance Committee considers amendments at their Oct. 31 meeting.

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Police and Fire Commission: Details

4:30pm, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022

 

DISCUSSION ITEM

 

Agenda Item 1

Consider request from the Fire Department to remove U.S. Citizenship as a requirement for employment

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Finance Committee: Details

4:30pm, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022

 

ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED

 

Agenda Item 2

2023 Executive Operating Budget

Note: The schedule of agency presentations for this meeting and the presentations can be found here. The committee will be seeing presentations and asking questions, but no actions will be taken on the Operating Budget until the Finance Committee considers amendments at their Oct. 31 meeting.

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Street Use Staff Commission: Details

10:00am, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022

 

STREET USE PERMITS FOR CONSIDERATION AND VOTE

 

Agenda Item 3

MADISON MARATHON

*request to update 10k route from previous route that was approved at the 9.7.22 SUSC meeting

Set up: Sat, Nov. 12, 2022 / 2pm

Event: Sun, Nov. 13, 2022 / 7am-2pm

Tear down: Sun, Nov. 13, 2022 / 2pm-7pm Street

Closure: 100 E. Washington AVe, 200 MLK Jr. Blvd, 100 Wisconsin Ave. / Sun, Nov. 13, 2022, 8am

Capitol Square from MLK Jr Blvd to W. Wash (10 blocks of E. Main, N. & S. Pinckney, E. & W. Mifflin, & S. Carroll , excluding 10 N Carroll and 10 W Main)/ Sun. Nov. 13, 2022, 3pm

All roads open Sun., Nov 13, 2022 / 7pm

Discuss route, setup, schedule

Race Day Events, LLC / Abbey Vanvalkenburg

 

Preview upcoming events - October 19 - November 2, 2022

October

21, Fri, 4pm-8:30pm, UW Homecoming Parade, staging: Langdon, Wisconsin, route: Gilman, State, Lake, Langdon 22, Sat, 2:30pm, UW Home Football Game, Camp Randall Stadium

26, Wed, Madison Downtown Halloween, BID programming

26, Wed, 3pm-6pm, **Madison Downtown Halloween Hayrides, parking only request, route on Capitol Square 

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Board of Health for Madison and Dane County: Details

5:00pm, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

Agenda Item 3

Communicable Disease Update for October 20, 2022

 

ACTION ITEMS

 

City of Madison Resolutions

 

Agenda Item 9

Resolution Authorizing the Acceptance of Funds from the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services to support the Madison Forward Fund and authorizing the Director for Public Health to sign a non-competitive contract with the City of Madison for a Madison Forward Fund Program Manager and community outreach costs associated with the program.

 

Agenda Item 10

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.

 

Board of Health Resolutions

 

Agenda Item 11

Board of Health for Madison and Dane County Resolution #2022-28 Authorization to Accept Funds from the American Lung Association to support tobacco free campus work at UW-Madison through Spark

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Zoning Board of Appeals: Details

5:00pm, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022

 

PETITION FOR VARIANCE, AREA EXCEPTIONS OR APPEALS

 

Agenda Item 4

Kevin Burow, representative of the owner of the property at 668 State Street, requests a variance to the stepback requirement to construct a four-story residential addition atop an existing two-story commercial building. Alder District #2.

Note: This variance was approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2017. The proposal was also approved by UDC and Plan Commission at that time, but did not move forward. The applicant has submitted the same proposal because they now wish to move forward, but 2017 approvals have expired so they are restarting the approval processes. The proposed zoning variance would allow an extended elevator shaft in the new addition to project 1' into the required 30' stepback from the proposed State Street front facade.

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Downtown Coordinating Committee: Details

5:30pm, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022

 

Agenda Item 3

Approving the 2023 Operating Plan for Madison's Central Business Improvement District. (2nd, 4th, and 8th A.D.)

 

Agenda Item 4

Future of State Street Discussion

-Madison Police Department (Captain Zanders, Lieutenant Marshall, Officer Enstrom, others)

-Department of Civil Rights (Rebecca Hoyt and members of the Disability Rights Commission)

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Common Council Executive Committee: Details

6:00pm, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022

 

OVERVIEW OF INTERVIEW & SELECTION PROCESS

 

CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS

 

Agenda Item 2

Interviews of Aldermanic District 17 Candidates

1. Joe Clausius

2. Blake J. Duren

3. Sabrina Madison

4. Anne Murphy-Lom

5. William (Bill) Turnquest

6. Amy Zabransky 

 

ANNOUNCE SCORING RESULTS, CCEC REVIEW & RECOMMENDATION OF FINAL APPLICANT TO THE COMMON COUNCIL

 

Agenda Item 3

BY TITLE ONLY - Appointing XXXXX as Alderperson for District 17 to serve until the Spring 2023 election

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