Meetings and Updates Week of September 4th

Meetings and Updates Week of September 4th

• Labor Day Service Changes on Monday 9/4
• City Meetings
  • Common Council 9/5
  • Board of Public Works 9/6
  • Special Meeting of the Plan Commission 9/7
• Back-to-School Reminder of School Safety Zone Rules
• Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness - Input Requested!
• Events & Announcements
• Streets Division Updates - Brush and Yard Waste Collection

Labor Day Service Changes on Monday, September 4th

• Metro Transit service is reduced on Labor Day. Most buses will follow SUNDAY schedules, with Route A following a special HOLIDAY schedule. This news release has the complete details.
• No Streets Division Collections on Labor Day, September 4, 2023: The Streets Division will not perform refuse, recycling, brush, or large item collections on Monday, September 4, 2023 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The drop-off sites will also be closed.
• City offices will be closed on Monday, September 4th in observance of Labor Day.

City Meetings

Common Council

The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 in hybrid format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include:

• Resolutions recognizing National Voter Registration Day (9/19) and National Recovery Month (September)
• Campus Master Plan amendment for UW-Madison’s forthcoming new Levy Hall academic building
• Approving a Certified Survey Map to combine lots for the forthcoming WI History Center on the Square
• Approving a Certified Survey Map to combine two lots at 3909 and 3913 Lien Rd; this was for Club Car Wash’s development proposal, which Plan Commission voted to place on file (meaning we did not approve it) on my motion and based on my points of discussion at our meeting on Monday, August 29th on the basis that it didn’t meet two of the required standards for approval. I wrote in this blog post about my concerns with that project. This CSM item on Common Council’s 9/5 agenda allows the property owner to proceed with combining the two out-lots into one parcel if they so choose.
• Authorizing MPD to accept US DOJ grant funds to support the Dane County Human Services Drug Court, victim/witness services, voice equipment, and evidence/records storage projects
• Receiving a 2nd Quarterly Crime Report from MPD Chief Shon Barnes

Meeting Agenda   

Register for Public Comment

Watch Online

Board of Public Works

The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include authorizing and executing a Purchase and Sale Agreement between Core Spaces and the City of Madison for 405 W. Gorham Street in District 4, approving plans, specifications and authorizing the Board of Public Works to advertise and receive bids for State Street Campus Garage Mixed-Use Project in District 2, and approval of public works improvements for Phase 3 of the Jannah Homes subdivision right here in District 3 (located along Felland Rd, north of I-94 highway).

• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online

Special Meeting of the Plan Commission

The Plan Commission’s special meeting will take place on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30PM. There will be no action (votes) taken on items; instead, this meeting will be for a discussion among commissioners and City Planning staff about the 81 applications submitted to the City’s Generalized Future Land Use (GFLU) Map in the Comprehensive Plan. Here's the meeting agenda. While the Plan Commission won't yet vote on these amendments, we will discuss their merits and themes and give City Planning staff feedback and policy direction on staff's recommendations. 

As part of the Comprehensive Plan's 5-year Interim Update taking place this year, members of the community submitted 81 applications to reconsider the future land use categories in the Comprehensive Plan's GFLU Map where criteria were met (area lacks a recent plan, proposed change is consistent with goals in the Comprehensive Plan, etc.). Most, but not all, of those 81 applications reflect a general desire for gradual increases in the density of land use in some areas of the city – in particular in residential areas near Metro Transit bus lines and in mixed-use areas like neighborhood centers. Many applications were submitted for neighborhoods near the downtown and near the UW-Madison campus. Note that none of these changes, if added to the Comprehensive Plan through this GFLU map amendment process, would directly change current zoning districts or zoning rules on these parcels. The GFLU Map amendments, if adopted, would enable owners to later rezone to a zoning category that fits the new GFLU category’s uses. For example, recommending a higher-density GFLU category (residential or otherwise) would enable, though not require, owners to rezone to a higher land use category in the future. Recommending a lower-density GFLU category would usually limit owners to lower-density rezoning proposals. All rezoning proposals are reviewed by City zoning staff and by the Plan Commission through the routine rezoning process – which is different than this GFLU Map amendment process. 

Here’s a spreadsheet with the complete list of GFLU change applications, with staff’s comments and recommendations in the far right column. Here’s a link to an interactive map where Planning Staff have helpfully mapped many of the proposed land use changes. Staff are recommending adoption of 13 of the 81 applications, noting that some of the requested changes they're not recommending would instead be more appropriate during the Framework Area Planning process cycle such as the one taking place now for the Northeast Area, which includes a small part of District 3 (Mayfair Park and Burke Heights neighborhoods). Note that this Framework Area Planning process will take place for many other District 3 neighborhoods next year (2024), including Hiestand, Heritage Heights, and Rolling Meadows.  

A couple of applications are for changes to land uses in or near District 3:

• One GFLU change that I asked staff to consider, amendment #80, would change the land use category for a cluster of parcels around Milwaukee Street near McGinnis Park, Swanton, and Crystal from their current Low Density Residential to the category Low-Medium Density Residential. Low-Medium Density Residential is described in the Comprehensive Plan as “Mix of single-family homes, two-, three- and four-unit buildings, row/townhouses, and small apartment buildings” with story heights from one to three stories.
  • Some of the buildings on those parcels aren’t in great shape, to the point where mere renovations may no longer be cost-effective. These parcels have regular transit service by the D1 Metro Transit bus line, are near two parks, and close to the Karmenta temporary family shelter site, the old Chase bank, and the Rocky’s Liquor building which are each in the Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMU) category of the GFLU Map, allowing housing as well as neighborhood services in future developments.
  • I’m confident that these NMU sites along Milwaukee Street (Karmenta, the old Chase Bank, and the building with Rocky's Liquor) will redevelop someday, and having the potential for more residents nearby will encourage more neighborhood “third spaces” and neighborhood amenities on those NMU parcels when they redevelop – something that a lot of folks told me at their doors this spring that they want more of near the neighborhood. If you select nearby neighborhood census tracts on the Neighborhood Indicators Project data tool map you’ll see that each of these neighborhoods’ population has slowly declined over the last ten years, even though the number of housing units hasn’t much changed. Our household sizes in these areas are slowly getting smaller.
  • Note that City Planning staff are not recommending adoption of this GFLU Map amendment because this area will have a separate Framework Area Planning process in 2024.
• A Madison organization called Rooted, Inc. submitted a few amendments (# 66, 67, 68, and 69) to change a handful of not yet developed multi-acre areas of District 3 east of I-39/90 from their current Low Density Residential and Low-Medium Residential to Parkland so they can farm those parcels. This means removing space that’s currently mapped for housing in the new and developing neighborhoods to be built out there. Staff don’t support these changes.

As you can see on the interactive GFLU map where staff marked areas referenced many of these applications, slight density increases are also proposed for neighborhoods closer to downtown like SASY, Darbo-Worthington, Tenny-Lapham, Regent, and Dudgeon Monroe. Here's another handy map that shows Madison's neighborhoods in case you're curious. Bigger density increases for residential and mixed-use categories are proposed around the Regent Street area near South Campus, described in the several GFLU amendments submitted by Downtown Madison, Inc. and a couple of businesses in that area. 

Here’s a recent blog post of mine with a bunch of up-to-date and rather alarming data from the City’s 2023 Housing Snapshot Report. The data helps to demonstrate the City’s demand and need for more owner- and renter-occupied housing at all price points. Madison’s undersupply of housing compared to strong demand for housing is evident in our recent price growth that far exceeds inflation, in bidding wars, in persistently low vacancy rates, and in the very short amount of time that most houses, condos, or apartments are on the market before they’re occupied. Insights from these data are important to keep in mind as we consider changes to future land use categories that the Plan Commission will discuss, but not yet vote on, during our meeting on Thursday 9/7. We should also be working to organize neighborhood centers with clustered businesses, services, parks, and amenities that serve households in nearby, especially those served by transit lines.

Back-to-School Reminder of School Zone Safety Rules

As the Madison School District prepares to welcome their students back to school city-wide, City of Madison Crossing Guards are sharing some helpful reminders to start the year off the year right – with safety in mind! 

The first couple of weeks will likely see delays during drop-off and pick-up times, please remain patient as the schools work through these processes. Make sure to stay alert, follow all speed limits (especially in School Zones!), follow directions of School Crossing Guards, and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists. Together, we can create a seamless start to a fantastic new school year for everyone.For more information, please visit the Crossing Guard webpage or reach out to the supervisors directly at crossingguards@cityofmadison.com.
You can read the full release here.

Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

Both the City and the County allocated funds for our community to hire a consultant to assist us in developing a new Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The City selected HomeBase to work with our community. HomeBase is seeking feedback from community members through a variety of means: focus groups (both virtual and in-person), one-on-one interviews and a community-wide survey.

Below is a link to a survey to gather community input and feedback that will inform HomeBase’s recommendations in the Community Plan and future City and County Homelessness services. It is important that they hear from a broad range of stakeholders. I hope that you will take time to complete the survey. It will take about 15 minutes of your time: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MADISONDANECP. NOTE: the survey closes on Friday, September 8th, so share your input before then!

Events & Announcements

• East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, September 5, 2023: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.
• The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, September 6, 2023: The Capitol View Farmers Market is returning to the North Star Neighborhood! Join us each Wednesday (May 31-October 11, 2023) from 3:00-7:00pm to support local farmers and vendors, enjoy live music and food carts, and make the most of summer in Madison!   
• Greek Fest + 2023, Saturday, September 9, 2023: Greek Fest+, Madison's oldest ethnic festival returns this year with delicious Greek food and pastries and traditional music that area residents have enjoyed for over 70 years. Church tours will be offered, come join and become "Greek for a day."
• Neighborhood Indicators Project Follows Communities’ Wellness Over Time: Interested in seeing a clearer picture of housing, safety, health, education and the overall wellbeing of the City of Madison?
• 'Firefighter Fun Day' Returns!: For the first time since 2017, the Madison Fire Department announces the return of Firefighter Fun Day. This family-friendly event encourages the community to “meet us without the emergency!
• Sept. 1: Part of Atwood Avenue to Open to Two-Way Traffic: Starting in the evening of Sept. 1, Atwood Avenue will be open to two-way traffic between Walter Street and Fair Oaks Avenue.

Street Division Updates – Brush & Yard Waste Information

Brush Collection Information

Every neighborhood in Madison has just one last set out date left before the end of the brush collection season in 2023. In order to learn when you should set out brush to be collected for this final pickup opportunity, go to www.cityofmadison.com/BrushCollection. Enter your address into the form. Set the brush out per the guidelines for pickup on the date provided. Brush can also be taken to a Streets Division drop-off site.

Yard Waste/Leaves Collection Information

Curbside yard waste/leaves collection begins in early October. Each neighborhood will get three curbside collection opportunities. The dates for curbside pickup of yard waste are now available on the Streets Division’s website. Go to www.cityofmadison.com/YardWaste and enter your address into the form. Set your yard waste out for pickup per the set out guidelines on the Sundays provided on the website. Yard waste can also be taken to a Streets Division drop-off site.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions about brush or yard waste collection, or about the drop-off site, please contact the Streets Division office that services your home. District 3 residents should please call 608-246-4532. The office is open for questions 7:30am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday. You can also check out the Streets Division’s website at www.cityofmadison.com/Streets.