Updates & Week of April 3 Meetings of Interest for District 2

District 2 Updates and Meetings of Interest

City meetings continue to be 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

• In-person absentee voting for the Spring Election continues through Sunday April 2 in multiple locations across the city, including in many Madison Public Library locations. See all in-person absentee voting spots on the City Of Madison Clerk's website. Near District 2, you can vote at Madison Central Library 10am-4pm on Saturday and 2pm-4pm Sunday. Note that you can also dropoff your completed absentee ballots at the absentee voting sites during the hours that they are open.

• 2023 Spring Election Sample Ballots Available - Sample ballots are available for viewing by address on the MyVote Wisconsin website.

• Acceptable Proof of Residence Documents - when Registering to Vote on Election Day

• Project Update: Blair Street South - including "Vehicles traveling outbound/eastbound on East Washington Avenue will be merged into the median lane."

• Dane CORE 2.0 Rental Assistance Program Applications to Close May 31 - services to renters and landlords that provide legal representation and mediation through the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership (EDDP) will continue.

• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) East Side Construction Update - Public Information Meeting, Thursday, April 6 - 6:00 pm. Also, a Public Information Meeting for downtown BRT construction is being organized for April 20 (more details forthcoming).

• Metro Updating All Routes! - Starting June 11

• From the Parks Division: Updates and Events - Earth Day Challenge on April 22, Madison Parks Annual Report, Disc Golf Volunteer Days, and more.

• From MFD: Sign Up for Free Hands-Only CPR & AED Training - includes a course at Fire Station #1 downtown on April 26.

• Streets Division Drop-off Sites Hours Expand Starting April 3, 2023 - Olin Avenue site also opens on April 3, 2023

• Enroll Today in the Award-Winning Master Recycler Course - The course by Sustain Dane and the City of Madison begins April 6, 2023

• From Fleet Services: Women's History Month Profile: Fleet Pioneers

• From the Mayor:

  • Investing in South Madison

  • Mayor's Remarks at 2023 MadiSUN Kickoff Event at Mt. Zion Church

• City Forestry crews will soon be pruning trees throughout District 2. According to City Forestry, this year's objective is to prune every small tree within the area (trees that have been planted within the last 10 years). Information regarding the pruning operations can be found here. 

April 9 Informational Meeting for Proposed Alcohol License at Frances Street Market

On Sunday, April 9, at 3:00pm, Frances Street Market at 438 N. Frances Street will be hosting an informational meeting for neighbors and others interested in their proposed Class B Beer and Liquor License. Their application is expected to be considered by the Alcohol License Review Committee on April 19.

The applicant, Adrian Holtzman, proposes to add beer and wine sales to their current offerings that includes snacks, sandwiches, non-alcoholic beverages, vapes, and items-to-go. The applicant proposes to sell beer and wine through the evening on Sunday through Wednesday and until later on Thursday through Saturday. I have not yet seen the application, so don't know the exact hours of operation that are being proposed, but the Market currently closes at 11:45pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and closes at 9:0pm other days of the week.

If the ALRC grants the license, guests would be allowed to consume purchased beer and wine in the shop and potentially in their rear yard patio area. Some suggestions from the applicant include limiting alcohol sales to only those who are also purchasing food and only those who are members of a guest club. Details on these items are TBD.

While the I am skeptical of new alcohol-focused outlets downtown, on April 9 I hope to learn more about the applicant's business model, their safety and security plans, and any proposed mitigation efforts if there is the potential for neighbors to be impacted. The Campus Area Neighborhood Association has indicated that they will also attend that meeting. If you have questions, please attend the meeting on April 9 or feel free to email me (district2@cityofmadison.com).

Note that since I am not running for re-election on April 4, a new District 2 Alder will be seated on April 18, but I plan to give input to the ALRC in writing prior to their April 19 meeting.

Proposal for 428-444 State Street Referred to a Future UDC Meeting

On Wednesday, March 29, the Urban Design Commission voted unanimously to defer giving input to Plan Commission regarding JD McCormick Properties' proposal to redevelop 428 to 444 State Street. As a result, the proposal will not yet move on to Plan Commission. UDC referred the proposal to a future UDC meeting and gave suggestions to the development team on how to address what commissioners saw as problematic design elements. No specific date for a future UDC meeting was chosen, so I imagine that the development team will work to address the concerns and then ask for a UDC meeting date.

UDC's concerns were focused primarily on the large mixture of materials and designs on the proposed building's exterior, suggesting in particular that the reddish corner feature and facade segments were not appropriate for State Street and did not blend well with the rest of the building. They also had concerns about the dark metal panels used for the 4th floor on the front facade and the 5th and 6th floors that are setback 30 feet from the front facade. Some Commissioners suggested entirely removing the rear loft extensions of the 5th floor that create an effective 6th floor adjacent to Lisa Link Peace Park, although the earlier concerns of the Parks Division regarding the redevelopment's potential adverse impacts on adjacent Lisa Link Peace Park, have apparently been allayed. 

If the UDC does eventually make an advisory recommendation, Plan Commission will subsequently consider the Demolition Permit, as well as the requested Conditional Uses and Certified Survey Map. In January 2022, the Landmarks Commission considered the requested demolitions of the three buildings and found in part in their advisory opinion to Plan Commission that 432-436 and 428-430 State Street (the two easternmost buildings) have historic value based on architectural, cultural, or historic significance.

Note that since I am not running for re-election on April 4, a new District 2 Alder will be seated on April 18, but I anticipate assisting the new Alder with any ongoing development proposals in the District.

April 15 Free HUD-Approved Homebuyer Education Class

The City of Madison, in partnership with the Home Buyers Round Table of Dane County and Consumer Credit Counseling Service, want to share with you our next HUD Approved Homebuyer Education class of 2023 for the month of April! 2023 class schedule is up and you can find it here.

Description: Take the first step to owning a home, and join us in this Home Buyer Education Workshop. This FREE HUD Approved Homebuyer Education workshop takes place in-person at the Villager Mall on Park St, Atrium Entrance (2300 S Park St.) on Saturday, April 15th from 8:30am-3:30pm! Lunch will be provided. Our first time home buying workshops cover the following:

• how to find the right home

• how to apply for a mortgage

• budget and credit improvement tips

• how much you can afford

• barriers that can prevent you from qualifying for a mortgage and

• what down payment assistance may be available to you

Verify with your Down Payment Assistance/Closing Costs program to make sure that completing this course (class with one-on-one counseling) fulfills their requirements. Certificate of Completion is provided upon completion of class AND one-on-one counseling session with Consumer Credit Counseling Services.

Register here. Any questions contact Maria Davila-Martinez (mdavila-martinez@cityofmadison.com) or by phone at 608-266-6557.

____________________________

2. COVID-19 RESOURCES & INFORMATION

From Public Health Madison & Dane County:

• Our COVID testing site is closing, but you still have lots of options
• The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is offering two FREE COVID test kits per month. Order yours today.
• COVID-19 vaccine webpage
• COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• The latest Data Notes

Dane CORE - for rental and utility assistance.

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.

___________________________

City-County Homeless Issues Committee: Details

5:30pm, Monday, April 3, 2023

PRESENTATIONS

Agenda Item 2

Madison/Dane County homelessness by the numbers Point in Time, annual data, doubled up population estimates, and system performance measures

-Johneisha Prescott, Dane County Housing Access and Affordability Division

-Sarah Lim, City of Madison Community Development Division

Agenda Item 3

HSC Gaps Analysis - Angela Jones, HSC Funder's Committee

REPORTS

Agenda Item 4

Men's shelter development updates

Agenda Item 5
COVID response updates

___________________________

Affirmative Action Commission: Details

5:30pm, Monday, April 3, 2023

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Agenda Item 3

50K Process Update

Agenda Item 4

Residency Preference Program

Agenda Item 5

Equity Analysis of the Historical Preservation Process

REPORTS

Agenda Item 9

Report from the Affirmative Action Division Manager

The Division Manager will report on current work in the Division, including:

-Personnel updates

-Contract compliance concerns

-Status of large construction projects

-New or existing projects or partnerships

___________________________

Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board: Details

6:30pm, Wednesday, April 5, 2023

NEW BUSINESS ITEMS

Agenda Item 5

MPO 2023 Resolution No. 5 Approving Amendment No. 2 to the 2023-2027 Transportation Improvement Program for the Madison Metropolitan Area & Dane County

(10 Min)

Note: This item includes these projects that may be of particular interest to District 2 residents

• Extension of the Capital City Path in Madison (Revise cost, schedule with const. in '27; adding federal TAP funding)

• County-wide High School Safe Routes to School Program (NEW, Implementation in '23'24)

• Metro Transit articulated bus safety equipment project (NEW, seeking federal earmark funding)

Agenda Item 6

Approval of the Interim Project Scoring Criteria for the Carbon Reduction Program

(10 Min)

Agenda Item 7

Presentation on the Development of the Dane County Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Plan

(15 Min)

Agenda Item 8

Presentation on the New RoundTrip Platform (15 Min) 

___________________________