Updates on construction, comprehensive plan, West Area Plan; events & announcements

Hello neighbors,

As part of the University Avenue reconstruction project, Shorewood Boulevard will be closed beginning tomorrow, July 7, through Tuesday, July 11. Please note that there will be overnight work occurring, so there may be noise associated with this work. In other construction news:

• The Harvey Street/Schmitt Place reconstruction has been deferred to 2024.
• The S Owen Drive reconstruction project has been deferred to 2024.
• The Madison Beltline construction project planning survey closes tomorrow, July 7.

Comprehensive Plan Interim Update: City of Madison Opens Process for Future Land Use Amendments

Madison is estimated to grow by about 128,000 residents between 2020 and 2050. The City is working on an Interim Update of the Imagine Madison Comprehensive Plan, which is a long-term vision for the future of Madison to help guide the growth and change Madison is experiencing. The Comprehensive Plan Interim Update is focused on the Generalized Future Land Use (GFLU) map, which broadly guides how and where Madison grows. In addition to the City making administrative updates to the GFLU map, the public has an opportunity to propose amendments to the GFLU map through an online application (due August 6). We are looking to hear from residents, developers, neighborhood associations, and all other interested parties.

Why is this important?
The GFLU map is used to analyze rezoning requests – rezoning for a property needs to be consistent with the specified future land use shown on the GFLU map. For example, a parcel of land specified for future “Medium Residential” land use could not be rezoned to allow for industrial uses, but could be rezoned to allow for a multifamily residential building.

For more information, including a project timeline, frequently asked questions (FAQ) document, past meeting recordings, and to sign up to receive project updates via email, please visit the project website.

A virtual public meeting regarding the Comprehensive Plan Interim Update will be held via Zoom on Thursday, July 13 at 6:00pm.

Meetings

• West Area Plan Public Meetings: Join one of these public meetings to see what we've heard thus far via surveys, interactive mapping, and previous public engagement, and to review and provide feedback on initial plan recommendations. All meetings will cover the same content.

  • July 18, 6:30-7:30pm – online
  • July 26, 12-1pm – online
  • August 2, 5:30-7:30pm - Rennebohm Park shelter. The meeting at the park will include food for purchase and some fun outdoor activities.

Events

• July 7, 5-8pm: Live from the Wonderground – Madison Children’s Museum. This first Friday series brings music, dancing, food, and drinks for all ages to downtown Madison’s most creative playground, the Wonderground.
• July 7, 6:30-8:30pm: Summer Nights at Segoe
• July 8, 9-11am: Sandburg Woods Volunteer Day. Madison Parks is seeking volunteers in conservation to assist in removing invasive plants in Sandburg Woods Conservation Park. Participants will learn plant identification, conservation methods, ecological restoration efforts and methods, as well as park history.
• July 8-9: Art Fair On the Square, and Art Fair Off the Square. NOTE: As a result of the art fairs, the Dane County Farmer’s Market will be at Breese Stevens Field on Saturday.
• July 8-9, 11am-8pm – Food Cart Pop-ups: Vilas Beach Park
• Bird and Nature Adventures:
  • July 8, 2:30-4pm – Owen Conservation Park
  • July 9, 1:30-3pm – Turville Point Conservation Park
• July 10, 4-8pm: Madison Area Cooperative Housing Alliance Summer Social - Brittingham Park. Come learn about cooperative housing!
• July 12 and 19, 6:30-8pm: Sustain Dane and the Streets Division are teaming up to offer one last Recycle Better class in 2023.

• July 13, 12-5pm: Sunset Village Community Association blood drive – Sequoya Library
• July 13-15: Black Film Festival, presented by Justified Anger
• July 13-16: Maxwell Street Days – State Street
• July 22, 1-5pm: Urban League Unity Picnic – Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S. Park St. Celebrate in unity with our community at this free, family-friendly event. Enjoy a variety of delicious food, live music, and fun activities!
• July 27-28: Madison Disability Summit, online. The City of Madison Disability Summit: Collective Visioning for a More Equitable Future is a platform for visioning and developing a city-wide agenda that will direct the work of the Department of Civil Rights – Division of Equity and Social Justice, Disability Rights and Services Program and ensure all City programs include the voices and needs of the disability community.
• July 29, 12-5pm: Disability Pride Festival – Warner Park.
• August 2, 3-5pm: Fair housing training seminar for owners and managers of rental properties, or staff operating shelters or residential programs - Madison Public Library Alicia Ashman Branch, 733 N. High Point Rd. The seminar will include information about the protected classes and prohibited practices delineated by local, state and federal fair housing laws, as well as reasonable accommodations and modifications for tenants with disabilities.
   

Announcements

• Help protect oak trees from Spongy Moth outbreak!
• Regent Market Co-op is seeking board members! Whether you have expertise in finance, marketing, sustainability, community engagement, or other relevant areas, your unique perspective and skills are highly valued. To get more information, please contact regentmarketcoopboard@gmail.com.
• This July, Celebrate Park and Recreation Month: Madison Parks and Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) are celebrating National Park and Recreation Month - Where Community Grows throughout July and you’re invited!
• Increased Need for Crossing Guards as City of Madison Prioritizes Safety: The City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division is currently facing an increased need for crossing guards throughout the city.
• Have a Say: Help Us Interview Firefighter/EMT Candidates!: The Madison Fire Department seeks community members to serve on our upcoming Firefighter/EMT interview panels. It’s our way of giving voice to the community as we seek the best possible individuals to serve our city as a member of the fire department.
• Madison Arts Commission awards $107,485 for arts projects in their 2023 grant cycle: The Madison Arts Commission awarded $107,485 to 68 organizations and individuals for projects through their annual arts grants program.
• 33 development projects coming to Madison's skyline: Eleven tower cranes hover over future multistory buildings downtown, and just about 6,000 apartment units are on the way. The Dane County Regional Airport, which recently opened a new wing, is on pace to eclipse record-breaking, pre-pandemic passenger numbers. Building renovations — some in the mega-multimillion-dollar range — will make sections of Madison unrecognizable in the next few years.
• Maliha Nu’Man Named City of Madison’s 2023-24 Youth Poet Laureate: During a ceremony earlier this month at Pinney Library, the City of Madison, the Madison Arts Commission, and Madison Poet Laureate Angela Trudell Vasquez celebrated the accomplishments of Madeleine Bohn, who served as Madison’s first Youth Poet Laureate. Afterwards, Trudell Vasquez publically announced and welcomed Maliha Nu’Man as the second Madison Youth Poet Laureate.
• A Wild Rumpus Returns this July to Offer A Unique Play Experience in the Park: Madison Parks and Madison Public Library bring you A Wild Rumpus: An Anji Play Experience at two parks July through August.
• gBETA Urban League is accepting applications through August 11. gBETA Urban League is a no-cost, seven-week business accelerator that works with Black entrepreneurs and other entrepreneurs of color from high tech startups to main street small businesses.

Be well,
Regina Vidaver