D6 Items of Interest Week of December 11, 2023

JCAP Real Estate has continued to refine the proposal to redevelop the properties at Wilson + Blair (the Essen Haus and Come Back In properties). Please join me at a virtual neighborhood meeting on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 6:30pm. The design now reflects feedback from the neighborhood, City staff, alders, and commissions, including integration of the 506 and 518 E Wilson as contributing façades, advancement of the living street design, and refinement of the Blair Street townhomes. I have not received plans to share and since they have not submitted, there is nothing in legistar yet. The meeting will be recorded if you can't attend. The design team would like to gather additional feedback prior to submitting plans which they intend to do on January 8, 2024 and will start the formal review process after that. 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 https://cityofmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrfuyqqj4qHtNArJmtAEJFymbuWDE8WrZg.

Dane County, on behalf of the Dane County Regional Airport, is updating the Joint Use Agreement between the County, the US National Guard Bureau, and State of Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs regarding use of the airport. Supervisors Chawla, Wegleitner, Smith, Wright and Ritt have specifically called out paragraph 8b of the contract 2023 RES-168 and sent a letter to the Airport Director and County Corporation Counsel raising concerns which relate to the WANG/115th Fighter Wing providing firefighting services for the Airport and using firefighting foams that may contain PFAS. Currently the Joint Use Agreement includes indemnification language releasing the federal and state government for responsibility. The contract will be back to Personnel and Finance on 12/18/23 and possibly at the County Board on 12/21/23. There is now a petition calling to postpone the vote organized by 350 Wisconsin and Safe Skies Clean Water and others until questions have been answered.

Monday December 11 – Housing Strategy Committee – 9:30a – MMB Room 302 – in person only

Rental Housing Subcommittee 

To register to speak on an item, you will do so in person at the meeting. Please arrive early if you plan to register to speak. You can send comments to housingstrategy@cityofmadison.com

2. 81231 Review of 2016 Biennial Housing Report

2016 City of Madison Biennial Housing Report

3. 81232 Discuss Developer Survey Questions

Monday December 11 - Plan Commission – 5:30p PC Agenda 12.11.23

Note: Items 5-7 are related and will be considered as one public hearing. Following the public hearing, the Plan Commission shall make separate findings and motions on each agenda item. 

5. 80430 29 S Mills Street (District 13): Consideration of a demolition permit to demolish a community center. 

6. 80829 Creating Section 28.022-00661 of the Madison General Ordinances to change the zoning of property located at 29 South Mills Street from CI (Campus Institutional) District to TSS (Traditional Shopping Street) District. (District 13) 

7. 80431 29 S Mills Street (District 13): Consideration of a conditional use in the [Proposed] Traditional Shopping Street (TSS) District for dwelling units in a mixed-use building containing 49-60 units; consideration of a conditional use in the TSS District for indoor recreation; and consideration of a conditional use in the TSS District and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay for a building taller than four stories and 60 feet in height, all to allow construction of a six-story mixed-use building containing a 16,300 square-foot community center and gymnasium and 60 apartments.

Staff Report “: The applicant [The Alexander Co Inc] is requesting the approvals to demolish the existing community center [Neighborhood House] before constructing a six-story, mixed-use building containing a community center and gymnasium and 60 apartments. The applicant proposes to demolish the existing structure and begin construction in the fall of 2024, with completion anticipated at the end of 2025.

... in the Staff Report to the Landmarks Commission...Staff note, “The preservation file contains a file from the Wisconsin Historic Preservation database which describes the building as an International Style meeting hall potentially eligible for landmark designation, as identified in the City of Madison Underrepresented Communities Historic Resource Survey. Served as the 5th home of the Neighborhood House, which has provided services to a wide variety of communities in the Greenbush area since 1916. In the mid-1970s helped the earliest Hmong refugees in Madison find housing, employment, and child-care, and more. The WHS site file contains similar information.” 

Last week, the CC awarded Affordable Housing Funds up to $1,985,000 to Neighborhood House Community Center, Inc, in partnership with Alexander Company, for Neighborhood House Apartments (60 total units/36 affordable).

11. 80686 529 University Avenue (District 2): Consideration of a demolition permit to demolish a restaurant-tavern. 

Note: Item 11 should be referred to January 8, 2024 at the request of the applicant.

According to the Letter of Intent: “The Carey Group Real Estate Services, LLC (Developer) is applying to demolish the existing single-story restaurant/bar [The Vintage] located at 529 University Avenue with the intent to redevelop the .11-acre site. ...The Carey Group has interacted with City staff members on several occasions for this proposed development and attended a DAT Meeting with City staff on April 20, 2023. A neighborhood meeting was hosted by Planner Lisa McNabola and Alder Juliana Bennet on August 10, 2023. We’ve also connected with the adjoining neighbor to the south who owns Doty Dumpling’s Dowery and have spoken with the Campus Neighborhood Association all of whom participated in the neighborhood meeting. Their feedback supports the demolition of the existing structure for site redevelopment.”

Currently, there are 20 pages of public comment in legistar opposed to demolition.

12. 81029 Demolition Approval Standards - Discussion of potential language change -This item was on the agenda but not covered at the December 7 Plan Commission Special Meeting 

13. 81028 West and Northeast Area Plans - Progress update and Plan Commission input on key issues -December 7 discussion to be continued, with focus on issues common to both the West and Northeast Area Plan processes

There are hundreds of public comments in the legistar item. The CC in the last week received many dozens of emails opposed to the Sauk Creek Greenway Shared Use Path.

Staff is asking the PC a series of questions about how to treat older adopted plans, whether to map building heights related to comp plan land use categories, general approach to GFLU mapping for places of worship, how should staff address uncertainty of LMR land use and the ‘escalator clause’ and should the Sauk Creek Greenway shared use path remain in the West Area plan. These are among the 12 questions posed. The discussion and PC direction will likely inform all future area plan discussions. 

The West Plan will also be at the Transportation Commission and the Board of Parks Commissioners on Wednesday. In the West Plan BPC staff memo, I found a link to a short video presentation regarding the Planning Division’s approach to the sub area planning framework. The West Area and Northeast Area Plans are the first two area plans being created under the City’s new Area Planning effort, which was adopted by the Common Council on August 2, 2022.

Staff Report “Since January, the Planning Division has been working with City agencies, residents, Community Partners, Neighborhood Navigators, businesses, elected officials and others to prepare the West and Northeast Area Plans. Public participation has been extensive including virtual and in-person meetings, online community and business surveys, and engagement with underrepresented populations through neighborhood events, walking tours, door conversations, focus groups, and more. Public feedback, coordination with other City initiatives like park development plans and watershed plans, and relevant underlying plan actions have all helped guide and inform drafting of Area Plan actions. 

Determining which underlying plan actions to incorporate and how to approach potential plan archiving/ retirement has been challenging. Using guidance from the 2022 Planning Framework and 2018 Comprehensive Plan, and feedback from the public, elected officials, Planning staff, and other City agencies we created an approach for Plan Commission review and feedback. 

We will also present and ask for your feedback on other topics common to both Area Plans, like mapping for residential uses in General Commercial and Employment areas, mapping maximum building heights, and how to address non-physical development actions and actions to be implemented by non-City agencies, such as capacity building for neighborhood and community groups and community center improvements. Staff is seeking Commission feedback and direction on some topics common to both area plans, and some topics unique to each area, as reviewed below.”

Upcoming Matters – January 22, 2024

- 702-734 E Washington Avenue - Conditional Use - Construct 14-story mixed-use building with up to 15,000 square feet of commercial space and 244 apartments in Urban Design Dist. 8 

- 929 E Washington Avenue - Conditional Use Alteration - Construct 15-story, 265-room hotel in Urban Design Dist. 8

Wednesday December 13 - Urban Design Commission – 4:30 p UDC Agenda 12.13.23

6. 80306 33 W Johnson Street - Planned Development (PD), New Mixed-Use Development. (District 4) Owner: MC Investors I, LLC Applicant: Andy Inman, NCG Hospitality Initial/Final Approval is Requested UDC is an Advisory Body

Staff Report The applicant is proposing the redevelopment of the former Madison College site with a mixed-use development featuring a hotel, residential and commercial spaces. The development proposal includes repurposing the existing historic building into a six-story mixed-use residential building with 10,000 square feet of commercial space and the construction of an 11-story dual branded hotel tower with amenity spaces (approx. 17,000 square feet), including restaurants, rooftop lounge, underground parking, meeting/event space, and winter garden.”

Lots of outstanding questions per the staff report.

8. 81072 1202 S Park Street - New Mixed-Use Building in Urban Design District (UDD) 7. (District 13) Owner: Julian Walters Applicant: Ross Treichel, Sketchworks Architecture, LLC UDC will be an Approving Body – Informational Presentation

9. 71257 Discussions and Information Related to Future Amendments to MGO Chapter 33.24 - Urban Design Commission Ordinance and the Urban Design Commission Policy and Procedure Manual

Staff Report “The proposed MGO 33.24 ordinance updates are intended to: 

1. Clean-up outdated code language and eliminate redundancies with the Zoning Code, 

2. Clarify procedural and process related items, 

3. Review district boundaries for consistency with adopted plans, 

4. Revamp design-based elements within the Urban Design Districts that are better aligned with current construction and design practices, as well as the intent of each district, 

5. Clean-up sign design guidelines and requirements to be consistent with the Sign Code, current legal framework, and current best practices, and 

6. Evaluate and creation of new urban design district for “Mifflandia” area. 

Recognizing that objectives outlined above will vary in their complexity and the time anticipated to complete them, staff proposes that the code amendments be grouped into multiple phases beginning with Phase 1, Administrative Updates and Clarifications, which is the subject of this discussion. 

...The UDC reviewed an initial draft text at the May 10, 2023, meeting, which is attached to this memo as Attachment A with the proposed text changes highlighted in green. In addition, for reference, a web link to the May 10, 2023, UDC Staff Report and the UDC discussion can be found here. Since the Commission’s initial review of the potential text changes, staff has made further refinements that include incorporating the Commission’s comments, updating references, incorporating the purpose and intent statement, as well as others as noted by the yellow highlighting below. December 13 draft

2022 UDC Workshop on Code Updates gives an overview of the phases and survey results (it is not stated who the participants were, but I am assuming participants were members of the development community and UDC commissioners).

Wednesday December 13 – Public Safety Review Committee – 5p PSRC Agenda 12.13.23

2. 65747 For Information Only - Chief Barnes Quarterly Report

3. 81205 Report from the Madison Police Department to include a report on recent gun violence and an update on the strategic plan 

4. 80709 Report from the Madison Fire Department and an update on CAREs

Wednesday December 13 – Transportation Commission – 5p TC Agenda 12.13.23

2. 81238 Director's Report 

Amtrak • On December 7, the Federal Rail Administration announced that the State of Wisconsin is entered in the Corridor ID program. Wisconsin DOT submitted on behalf of all corridors within the state. You can see more at https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2023- 12/FY22%20CID%20Project%20Summaries-Map.pdf

• Next steps are for WisDOT to negotiate an agreement with FRA, and for them to develop service planning. 

• Madison continues to evaluate station sites within the City, with a presentation to TC scheduled for January.

3. 77560 Planning Division staff update - West Area Plan

There are links to the TC and Landmarks staff report

4. 81239 Public Works Transportation Projects Review and Feedback - E. Wilson St. and E. Doty St

6. 81241 Update on Metro Transit Accessibility and Paratransit

Wednesday December 13 - CITY, COUNTY, SCHOOLS COLLABORATIVE COMMITTEE – 5:30p City County Schools Agenda 12.13.23

3. 81217 Recap City, County and MMSD 2024 Budgets 

4. 81218 Discuss Recently Passed State Bill Related to Driver's Ed. 

5. 81219 Pedestrian Safety for MMSD Students Update

Wednesday December 13 – Board of Park Commissioners – 6:30p BPC Agenda 12.13.23

9 80960 December 2023 Superintendent's Report

Parks Alive  

Fall events • We completed Parks Alive events created in partnership with the Sequoya Library in three park alternative locations. These locations were the Madison Ho-Chunk Community Center near Owl Creek Park (26 attendees), The Boys and Girls Club near Penn Park and Allied Park (45 attendees), and The Salvation Army near Darbo/ Worthington Park (8 attendees). The success of the events was directly tied to community dissemination of the information. This pilot demonstrated the need for community building that exceeds the NRT circuit. Our partnership with REAP allowed us to serve healthy, seasonally appropriate, and locally sourced foods. We noticed that the participants were excited about trying culturally diverse foods they may not have ordinarily eaten. 

Youth Partnerships • While organizing fall programming, the need for deep community engagement became a prevalent topic. With the leaders of the alternative sites, we discussed the need to cultivate and develop the community leaders of tomorrow by empowering today's youth. Because youth engagement funds are built into the budget, we plan to propose to the backbone team the assembly of a PA Youth Team that would be instrumental to the decision-making, planning, and execution of a youth-led program at their local Parks Alive Park. With the support of the backbone team, we plan to pilot this program for the Summer of 2024, starting in January 2024, in select neighborhoods to develop community buy-in for the program and, ultimately, the goal of building stronger and safer neighborhoods.

15 81108 Informational Presentation by Community Development Authority Regarding Potential Geothermal Concept in Brittingham Park as Part of CDA Triangle Redevelopment

16 80665 Informational Presentation by City of Madison Planning Division regarding West Area Plan Planning Process