City Meetings and Updates Week of Dec 1
posted- City Meetings:
- Finance Committee 12/1
- Plan Commission 12/1
- Transportation Commission 12/3
- City of Madison Winter Homepage & Resources
- Wisconsin Salt Wise Public Webinar on Wednesday from Noon-1pm
- Public Workshop 12/11: Economic Development Plan Strategy Recommendations
- Events & Announcements
City Meetings
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, December 1, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a resolution awarding up to $13,963,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund to support four affordable housing and senior housing development projects: one on the West Side, two on the East Side (not in D3), and one on the North Side. The agenda also includes the Year End Appropriation Resolution and the results of an internal audit of the Fleet Services city agency.
Plan Commission
The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, December 1, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include:
- Authorizing the City to participate in preparing a new Cooperative Agreement between Madison, Middleton, DeForest, Waunakee, and Westport. The Town of Westport filed an incorporation petition to the state in 2024 which initiates this process that will turn them into a Village. The Town of Westport is pursuing elimination of Town “islands” (pieces of Town surrounded by other municipalities), eliminate irregular boundaries, provide growth areas for Waunakee and DeForest, and maintain lands for the future Village of Westport. Here’s the staff memo and here are some reference maps.
Updates to the TOD ordinance, see Legistar #90522.Here’s the staff memo. This change would:
Image credit: City Planning- Allow a 4-home structure to be built within all residential areas in the TOD overlay. For some areas, this would be an increase from allowing a 2-home structure to a 4-home structure.
- Ensure that businesses incorporating a drive-through window don’t default to a primarily auto-centric design. This proposal would only allow drive-throughs in the TOD overlay if incorporated into a larger building – specifically a 3-story building that covers at least 60% of the lot.
- Prohibit the creation of new car washes, auto sales and rental businesses, and standalone private surface parking lot facilities within the TOD overlay district. Surface parking lots that are not the principal use of the property, like a parking lot for a business or a residential development, would still be allowed.
NOTE: there’s a proposed alternate amendment which would allow car rental agencies within the TOD with the rationale that folks living in TOD without a car may have reasons to rent a car. I think this amendment makes a lot of sense.
Image credit: City Planning
- Allow for the development of Cottage Courts-style housing, meaning eight or fewer detached single-family homes with common management and/or access to the site, allowing for smaller and therefore potentially more affordable homes. These could be condominiums, homes on their own lots, or on a single lot with a single owner. See Legistar #90557. Here’s the zoning staff memo. Note that there are a couple of alternate proposals by alders described in the memo, one of which staff supports and the other staff does not.
- Change the zoning district for a handful of properties (not in District 3) within the TOD overlay to be more consistent with adopted future land use recommendations for those sites. See Legistar #90553, Legistar #90554, Legistar #90555, and Legistar #90556. Here’s the staff memo.
Meeting info:
Transportation Commission
The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 3, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include:
- Revisions to the Elementary School Crossing Guard Criteria. I have not done a deep dive into this one, but for those who are interested, this marked-up version of the criteria document shows the line-by-line changes.
- Traffic Signal Priority List with recommendations for further study pending approval by the Transportation Commission. This report from Traffic Engineering lists the intersections recommended for further study to determine eligibility for new traffic signal installations; none are in District 3. (Note that the Milwaukee & Sprecher intersection was already approved for traffic lights in the previous round; these will be constructed in 2026. There's also an approved left-turn arrow on Cottage Grove Road at Acewood; the contractor had supplier problems that delayed completion of the electrical work.) Several more intersections in District 3 were studied in this latest round of Traffic Signal Prioritization and fell below the threshold for the criteria used to determine which intersections get traffic signal improvements. Here’s the full, citywide list. And here are the criteria for determining where traffic signals are installed.
- Cottage Grove Road & Thompson was 16% below the “warrant” threshold to qualify for traffic signals
- Swanton & Thompson was 22% below the threshold
- Cottage Grove Road & Ellen was 38% below the threshold
- Milwaukee & Thompson was 56% below the threshold
- Milwaukee & Walbridge was 56% below the threshold
- Milwaukee & Wittwer was 57% below the threshold
- Cottage Grove Road & Meadowlark was 61% below the threshold
- Cottage Grove Road & McLean was 69% below the threshold
- Commercial & Nakoosa was 78% below the threshold
- Commercial Ave & Mesta was 83% below the threshold
- Milwaukee & Swanton was 85% below the threshold
- Cottage Grove Road & McClellan was 88% below the threshold
- A discussion of the Capital City Extension from Vondron to I-39/90 Bridge. Here’s a link to a map showing the route and planned improvements for the trail extension. The idea is that the County then extends the trail from I-39/90 to Cottage Grove and link Madison’s trail network to the Glacial Drumlin Trail that extends all the way to Waukesha.
Meeting info:
City of Madison Winter Homepage and Resources
The City has a central Winter homepage with everything you need to know about winter in Madison.
- A banner at the top of the page shows any current updates and orders, including today’s Snow Emergency and an update on snow plowing efforts currently underway
- An alternate-side parking lookup tool allows you to select a date and see whether you need to park on the even or odd side of the street
- Links to other pages with winter parking rules, how snow removal works, and winter activities available in parks
- Report a Problem direct links to snow/winter-related issues like unmaintained sidewalks, damaged mailboxes, etc.
- Social media accounts where you can see winter-related updates: here’s the Winter Facebook and here’s the X (formerly Twitter)
- Subscription options to receive emails or texts about snow plowing updates, snow emergencies, or daily alternate side parking reminders
Wisconsin Salt Wise Public Webinar on Wednesday from Noon-1pm
Road salt contaminates surface water and drinking water, a problem that is getting worse over time and will be difficult to deal with. On Wednesday Dec 3rd, WI Salt Wise is hosting a free, public webinar: Technology and Best Practices to Achieve Chloride Sustainability to feature some leading research and practices from our neighbors in Minnesota.
When: Wednesday, Dec 3rd from noon-1pm
Where: Virtual, sign up here
Event description from their website: Over the past two decades, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has taken an aggressive approach to salt sustainability, using technology, best practices, and outreach to achieve results based on data. MnDOT has been active in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) initiatives, internal research, testing, and active outreach internally to move toward a sustainable future. MnDOT will highlight the best practices, technology advancements, and outreach efforts that have matured over the past 20 years. Presenters: Jed Falgren, MnDOT State Maintenance Engineer, Joe Huneke, MnDOT Transportation Program Supervisor
The WI Salt Wise Partnership is a coalition of organizations working together to reduce salt pollution in our lakes, streams and drinking water.
Public Workshop Dec 11: Economic Development Plan Draft Strategy Recommendations
The City of Madison, in partnership with EQT By Design and 4th Economy, is holding a public workshop to engage community members in shaping the city's economic development plan. The virtual event will take place on December 11, 2025, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm via Zoom.
After months of collaboration with community members, city staff, and advisors, they are excited to share draft strategies and gather insights that will directly inform economic development priorities. These ideas represent a significant shift in approach, centering community needs and perspectives in building an inclusive and sustainable economic vision for Madison's future.
The interactive workshop will provide attendees with:
- Updates on the economic development plan draft strategies
- Input on priorities for Madison's economic future
- Engagement with city officials and planning consultants
The event is free and open to all Madison residents. Participants are encouraged to bring friends and family members who want to contribute to Madison's economic vision.
When: December 11, 2025, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Where: Virtual via Zoom, sign up to receive meeting link
Events & Announcements
- Public Information Meeting - Carpenter-Ridgeway Park, Tuesday, December 2: The City of Madison Planning Division, in cooperation with Madison Parks, is hosting a Public Information meeting on this Bike Playground and Skills Track at Carpenter Ridgeway Park. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. Advanced registration is required.
- Far West Operations Building, Tuesday, December 2: A public information meeting is scheduled for this project at 6 p.m., Dec. 2, 2025, via Zoom. Registration prior is required.
- Help Us Envision Downtown Madison: Envision Downtown Madison is a strategic partnership between the City of Madison and Downtown Madison, Inc. (DMI) that will provide a vision for the future of downtown. [posted November 25, 2025]
- City of Madison Secures $17 Million in Federal Funding to Modernize Metro Fleet : This significant investment allows Metro Transit to retire some of the oldest vehicles in its fleet. [posted November 24, 2025]
- Girls' Mentorship Group, Tuesday, December 2 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Join Keena Atkinson of R'oujie Wellness on Tuesday evenings at Warner Park Community Recreation Center! This free series is designed for females aged 11 to 18. Pre-registration is requested but not required.
- Holiday Fantasy in Lights, Saturday, November 15, through Monday, January 5, 2026: Lighted holiday-themed displays set in beautiful Olin Park. Drive through from dusk until 10:00pm to enjoy this magical light show for free, brought to you by The Electric Group.
Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted. Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.
