Northeast Area Plan

Final Northeast Area Plan Document Available

The final Northeast Area Plan document, which integrates edits approved by the Plan Commission and Common Council is available.  Thank you to everyone who participated throughout the process!

Northeast Area Plan adopted by the Common Council

On September 10th, the City of Madison adopted the Northeast Area Plan.  The adopted version includes staff recommended changes discussed at Transportation Commission and Landmarks Commission, and removed the extension of Nakoosa Trail shown in the draft.  In the coming weeks, staff will revise the document to reflect these changes and post a final version.  Along with adopting the plan, the adopted resolution archived the previously adopted plans in the same area as the Northeast Area Plan.  This means they will no guide City actions, including the review of development proposal.  Archived plans include:

• Hawthrone Truax Neighborhood Plan
• Greater East Town Area Plan
• Hanson Road Neighborhood Development Plan
• Ridgewood East Center Development Plan
• Carpenter-Ridgeway-Hawthorne-Truax Neighborhood Plan
• East Towne-Burke Heights Neighborhood Development Plan

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Northeast Area Plan approval process

The Northeast Area Plan is about to begin the City’s formal review and approval process.  The final draft is now available.  The Plan will be introduced at the Common Council meeting on July 16th.  Introduction is when the Common Council determines the Boards, Commissions, and Committees that will review the draft Plan.  However, the Plan won’t be discussed or acted on at this meeting.

The anticipated review schedule is below, however it is subject to change.  If changes occur, a revised review schedule will be sent to the email list.  There is an opportunity to comment on the draft at each of these meetings.  Agendas and instructions on how to participate can be found on the meeting information pages linked below.  Agendas are typically posted one week in advance.

• July 17 – Economic Development Committee - Recommended approval
• July 31 – Transportation Commission - Recommended approval with bike network updates
• August 1 – Community Development Block Grant Committee - Recommended approval
• August 5 – Landmarks Commission - Recommended approval with changes recommended by staff in memo
• August 14 – Urban Design Commission - Recommend approval
• August 14 – Board of Park Commissioners - Recommend approval with the exception of extending Nakoosa Trail through Sycamore Park
• August 26 – Plan Commission - Recommended to move forward the Northeast Area Plan to Council with a recommendation to adopt the resolution subject to the recommendations from reviewing boards, committees, and commissions and staff recommendations found in the staff Plan memo and the following alteration: That it be noted in the plan text to preserve the opportunity to extend and connect Nakoosa Trail through Sycamore Park in the future.
• September 10 – Common Council

As discussed in the ordinance introduced at the July 16th Common Council meeting, the City's Comprehensive Plan is anticipated to be amended to reflect the Generalized Future Land Use (GFLU) Map and the Shared-Use Path & Bicycle Network Map that are included in the West and Northeast Area Plans. Other maps and text in the Comprehensive Plan, such as maps of area plans and text summarizing adopted area plans, would also be edited to reflect the West and Northeast Area Plans.  A summary of Comprehensive Plan edits is available here. 

Over the 18-month planning process, City staff worked with residents, community organizations, neighborhood associations, businesses, and other stakeholders to chart a course of action for the next 10 years and beyond. The draft Plan covers a wide variety of topics, such as land use, transportation, parks and open space, and other elements of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Thanks to everyone who have participated in this planning process!

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Project Schedule:

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The Northeast Area Plan kicked off in January 2023 and will address land use, transportation, housing, parks and open space, stormwater management, economic development, historic and cultural resources, and facilities and utilities. Equitable and inclusive public participation will be key to the success of the process to help ensure that it is accessible to a broad audience, including people who are traditionally underrepresented.

If you want to stay informed about the plan, subscribe to our Email list (see subscription tab on the right hand side panel).

Planning Framework

The Northeast Area Plan will be one of the first planning processes following the City’s new Planning Framework.  Approved by the Common Council on August 2, 2022, the Planning Framework is a shift in how Madison approaches planning for areas of the city. The new framework will simplify and standardize the City’s sub-area planning and it is intended to achieve more equitable outcomes by covering the entire city with 12 discrete Area Plan geographies.

Area plans will:

• Be updated every 10 years to ensure recommendations are timely and relevant.
• Address a consistent set of topics and include higher-level recommendations for land use, transportation, parks and open space, community facilities, and utilities
• Include public outreach and engagement during each phase of the planning process with special emphasis on reaching residents and communities typically underrepresented in City processes.
• Ensure all areas of the City and its peripheral growth areas have plans, and eliminate confusion created from overlapping plan geographies with different recommendations
• Facilitate enhanced coordination between City initiatives and divisions

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