Common Council

Northeast Area Plan Kickoff on Tuesday the 31st - a new way of planning for Madison

The Northeast Area Plan process kicks off on Tuesday. This is the first plan using a new process - and over the next decade, everyone in Madison will live in an area covered by a new plan using this process. 

There are two options for the kickoff meeting, you don't need to go both. Staff will provide an overview of background information and gather input from community members about issues and opportunities in the respective planning areas.

• Virtual Meeting: Tuesday, January 31 at 12:00pm. Registration is required and can be completed on the project webpage.
• In-Person Meeting with Virtual Option: Tuesday, January 31 at 6:00pm at the City Fleet Service Building, 4151 Nakoosa Trail. Registration for the virtual meetings is required and can be completed on the project webpage.

I am very excited to see this process kick off. It's part of a larger initiative to build better communities through the City's recently approved Planning Framework. The Northeast Area Plan and West Area Plan will be the first under this new model that will ultimately cover the entire city. Guided by overarching City policies and feedback from stakeholders, these Area Plans will guide physical changes that occur over time in our community such as land use, housing, transit, streets, bike paths, and other community facilities. As part of the Area Plan process, the Parks Division will update plans for how specific amenities are distributed among parks within the Northeast and West Areas.

I'm also excited that we're funding 2 or 3 "Community Navigators" positions that will conduct outreach to current residents, property owners, business owners, and other stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on low and moderate income communities.  Learn more and apply.

You can also participate without joining a meeting - the City has an "Interactive Comment Map" where you can place virtual sticky-notes on places in the neighborhoods that you like, or places where you've got ideas about how something can be better. Check it out by clicking here!

The Northeast Area Plan covers an area north of Highway 30, west of the Interstate, and includes the airport and areas north. It includes areas that aren't yet part of Madison but that will be in the future. Here's a map:

Even if you don't live in this area, I think you might still want to check it out. In 2024, large parts of District 3 will be part of the Southeast Area Planning Process. Areas east of the interstate will be part of the planning process, but the eastern neighborhood plans are relatively recent compared to much of the rest of the city (Meadowood doesn't even have plan!) so they are sequenced late in the process - but from here on out, all of District 3 will get its plans updated in the early part of each decade - 2032/33/34, 2042/43/44, etc. (The City is doing two plans in 2023 and two in 2024, but it's likely they'll slow down and only do one plan a year for most of the rest of the 2020s)

If you've got questions, I'm happy to try to answer them, or please feel free to connect with City Planning Staff:

Dan McAuliffe
dmcauliffe@cityofmadison.com
261-9676

Angela Puerta
apuerta@cityofmadison.com 
267-8649