District 6 Items of Interest Week of August 7, 2023

August 6, 2023 is the deadline for the public to submit recommended changes to the Generalized Future Land Use maps in the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. The city is undergoing an interim update to the 2018 Comp Plan now that we are midway through the 10-year cycle.

Links to an interactive map that show proposed changes to land use categories and map notes and also a FAQ can be found Comp Plan Interim Update 2023 .

There are several proposed changes to land use categories (which are not the same as zoning changes) and three map notes that affect District 6. The 2023 proposed GFLU map show several proposed changes along/near E Washington between Blair St and Thornton. All changes to land use categories are outlined in black. You can click on the outlined area, or the map note to get more details. The three map notes are #1, 4, and 9. The FAQ will provide explanations of each land use category. 

Planning staff will review the suggestions and will make recommendations. Here is the timeline and future ways to participate. 

Please join me later this week at a neighborhood meeting to learn about the proposed redevelopment of the Essen Haus parcels on E Wilson and S Blair, more details and the meeting registration link is below.
 

Monday August 7, 2023 – Plan Commission – 5:30p PC Agenda 08.07.23

Upcoming Matters – August 28, 2023

- 232 N Park Street, 209 Bernard Court, 911-923 Clymer Place, 908 W Dayton Street & 207 N Brooks Street - TR-U2 to CI, Amended CI District Master Plan, and Demolition Permit - Rezone University of Wisconsin-owned parcels to CI; demolish three residences; and amend master plan to allow construction of a six-story, 149,200 sq. ft. academic building (Levy Hall)

- 18-30 N Carroll Street - Demolition Permit, Conditional Use, and Certified Survey Map Referral - Demolish two commercial buildings and a museum to construct a new five-story museum (Wisconsin History Center) on one lot
 

Monday August 7 – City County Homeless Issues Committee – 5:30p CCHIC Agenda 08.07.23

2. 79209 Madison/Dane County CoC Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness Development Updates

Homebase presentation Esther Wilch and Mihir Vohra, Homebase

3. 79210 Dane County Doubled Up Housing Strategy Specialist Updates

Doubled Up presentation Johneisha Prescott, Dane County Housing Access & Affordability Division

5. 79211 Men’s shelter development updates
 

Wednesday August 9  - Transportation Commission – 5p TC Agenda 08.09.23

You can send comments on agenda items to: TransportationCommission@cityofmadison.com

3. 79278 Complete Green Streets Project Checklist Review and Feedback

There is no link to a project checklist in the legistar link. Here is the Complete Green Streets Guide, the policy was updated in December 2022. I know many of you are interested in this so heads up to the discussion.

From the city’s Complete Green Streets FAQ: Complete Green Streets is an approach to planning, designing and building streets for all users, including people walking biking, driving and taking transit, as well as a process for making investments in infrastructure that supports city sustainability. Complete Green Streets emphasizes a safe, connected, sustainable and equitable transportation network and public right-of-way for everyone regardless of where they live, how they get around or their age or ability.

A complete street is one that maximizes safety and ensures a connected network for travel for walking, transit, biking and driving. A complete street prioritizes people’s safety and is critical to eliminating serious and fatal crashes.

A green street integrates storm water control and management within the right-of-way as critical components of a street design, ensuring the street remains usable and safe for all people, even during storm events. Green Streets also incorporate tree canopy into the decision-making process for street projects.

5. 79279 Metro Transit Development Plan Update - Review of Scope and Process

Highlights from the TDP Update Memo from MPO staff : The Greater Madison MPO (MPO) is updating the Transit Development Plan (TDP) for Madison Metro Transit (Metro) and contracted service providers. The TDP is a five-year strategic plan designed to identify the near-term future direction of the transit system. The TDP is intended to guide the planning activities, service and facility improvements, and budgets of Metro and other transit providers. The TDP guides transit service changes to meet the goals adopted in Connect Greater Madison 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and transit performance measures, as well as building on the foundation of the Metro Transit Network Redesign service plan adopted in 2022, including the phased implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) beginning in 2023 (routes only, BRT infrastructure opens in East-West corridor in 2024).

The Greater Madison MPO, Metro Transit, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) cooperative agreement states that the Greater Madison MPO’s responsibilities include:

Preparing and updating a mid-range (5 year) Transit Development Plan (TDP) in cooperation with the Transit Operator and other providers of public transit services. The TDP shall include, but not be limited to, transit system policies and an assessment of service demands, planned transit service improvements, transit fares, and transit system capital facility needs.

The last TDP, adopted in 2013 for the 2013-2017 period, is outdated and does not account for many critical changes in the region and in society as a whole that have subsequently occurred. These changes include: new development, including redevelopment, infill, and greenfield development; the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel patterns; the redesigned Metro transit network; BRT; or the growing awareness of the impacts of systemic racism on minority populations which have followed the murder of George Floyd and nationwide protests against institutional racism.

The City of Madison’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative (RESJI) was adopted after the last TDP was adopted, making this the first TDP to require use of an equity lens in its development.

…As noted above, the majority of the TDP is composed of analysis of past performance and projecting future trends, and is largely a technical document that does not warrant a large public involvement effort. Goals established through other recent public processes, including the City of Madison’s Let’s Talk Streets, Vision Zero, and Complete and Green Streets, and the MPO’s Connect Greater Madison 2050 Regional Transportation Plan, will be incorporated into the TDP and no new goals will be established as part of this update. Individual service changes, such as route realignments and schedule changes, are subject to public review and comment on a case-by-case basis, and no such specific changes will be proposed as part of the TDP.
 

Wednesday August 9 – Neighborhood Meeting- 6:30p virtual

Join Alder Mike Verveer and me for a virtual neighborhood meeting to learn about the proposal to redevelop the Essen Haus properties. A postcard has been mailed to First Settlement and nearby D4 neighbors.

JCAP Real Estate proposes to redevelop the properties at 134, 140, 148, 150 S. Blair Street and 506, 510, 514, 516, 518 E. Wilson Street. The proposal includes an eight-story residential building along S. Blair Street and a six-story hotel along E. Wilson Street, which meets the downtown height requirement. The Hotel Ruby Marie building will remain as a separate structure on the site. The proposed residential building includes approximately 150 units and will incorporate a portion of the units as affordable housing units (60% AMI), along with stepbacks and rooftop open space/stormwater management. The hotel is being designed as a full-service hotel with approximately 100 rooms. Parking for all of the buildings will be delivered through structured parking within the residential building.

A virtual neighborhood meeting to hear more about this proposal is scheduled for Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at 6:30pm. You can join the virtual meeting using your computer, smartphone, or tablet, or you can listen in via telephone. You will receive login information after registering at www.cityofmadison.com/MeetingAugust9BlairWilson.
 

Tuesday August 22 -City Meeting on the Brayton Lot – 7p MMB room 215

City planning staff have created a website for the Brayton Lot (Block 113) Project  that includes the project background and existing plans.  In addition to the in-person meeting on Tuesday August 22 at 7p in room 215 of the Municipal Building, there will be a virtual meeting Wednesday August 23 at noon. Please register in advance for the virtual meeting at: https://cityofmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpcOCurzsuH91h9DYEFVp7JM5jvT2tRphI

There is also a flyer you can download.

The Brayton Lot, also known as Block 113, is a two-acre surface parking lot situated three blocks from Capitol Square along East Washington Avenue in the First Settlement neighborhood. The future of this site has been addressed in multiple City adopted plans over nearly 30 years. These plans have been consistent in their vision for the scale and massing of future buildings and several policy and regulatory measures have been put in place to realize that future.

Now, the community has an unique opportunity to implement those plans. The City is in the process of establishing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that is being paid for with a mix of Federal and City funds. A portion of the City’s share is coming from the use of some City-owned land – including the Brayton Lot – for the temporary, short-term use as a construction staging area. Once it is no longer needed for that purpose, the site will be made available for redevelopment. The funding agreement with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), requires the City to redevelop the site in a transit supportive manner.

The City is now moving forward with planning for this redevelopment and the implementation of long-standing plans. It is anticipated that a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a development partner will be issued later in 2023. Once that partner is selected and approved by the Common Council, the proposed development will go through the normal City entitlement process. This will include review by City boards, commissions and committees and Common Council as appropriate.