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Engineering

Sauk Creek Greenway

February 12, 2024 Update

The West Area Plan has scheduled upcoming public meetings. Please see the West Area Plan webpage for details. 

View past project updates »

Project Details

  • Location

    • 7425 Farmington Way
      Madison, WI 53717

  • Project Type

  • Status

    Planning

  • Estimated Schedule

    –

  • Alder District

    District 9

Project Information

Overview

Sauk Creek Greenway corridor shown from Tree Lane at Haen Family Park to Old Sauk Road and High Point road. A channel winds through the greenway. An existing sanitary access path goes from Tree Lane and Randolf north to Plover Cir, and around the pond off N High Point Rd. There are access points from Walnut Grove Park, Tree Lane and Randolf, and N High Point, and sidewalk access from Farmington Way, Brule Cir, and Gray Fox Trl.

This project began based on the need to stabilize the stormwater channel, and create maintenance access. This is still the primary goal of any future construction project. However, due to the size and complexity of this greenway and adjacent ponds, including additional considerations for trees, vegetation, public use, mobility and accessibility on public land, and based on the feedback that we received so far, we plan to re-start engagement with a broader approach. We are calling this broader approach a "Corridor Plan" because we are looking at the entire stormwater corridor. This includes the entire greenway (including the east-west section near Haen Family Park that wasn't in the original 2018 discussion), and the 2 adjacent, existing stormwater treatment ponds. Our first objective is to obtain community feedback on the greenway corridor as a whole, instead of as individual construction projects. Through this engagement process, we want to learn more about the community’s values and develop a conceptual plan for the corridor.  There is currently no design for any element of the corridor, and there will be multiple public meetings and opportunities to provide input on the corridor plan as it develops. The final corridor plan will serve as a framework for future planning and construction phases of the greenway. Each construction phase will have a separate public engagement process to discuss more detailed design elements. 

The corridor plan development will consist of a 7-step process where we plan to share information, and obtain input on specific aspects of the corridor. 

  1. Conditions Assessment

    Tree inventory (complete)

    Topographic survey (complete) 

    Pheasant Branch Watershed Study (complete) 

    Wetland Delineations (complete)

    Ecological and Channel Assessment (2023)

    West Area Plan (2023-2024)

  2. Issues and Opportunities

    Kick-off Meeting

    Focus Groups

  3. Concept Refinement

    Public Meeting

    Focus Groups

  4. Draft Preliminary Corridor Plan

    Internal advisory group generates corridor concepts

    Public Meeting to gather feedback

  5. Draft Final Corridor Plan

    Internal advisory group refines corridor concept

    Public Meeting to gather feedback

  6. Final Corridor Plan and Implementation

    Internal advisory group finalizes corridor plan

    Public Meeting to gather feedback

  7. Approval Process

    Ultimate Decision Makers 

    Transportation Commission (multi-use path)

    Board of Parks Commission (Parks impacts)

    Board of Public Works—Entire Corridor Plan

    Common Council – Entire Corridor Plan

     

Corridor Plan Development & Engagement

The components of the plan can be aggregated into 3 main areas—water, land and people and they are described below. There will be engagement opportunities within each step of the corridor plan.  

The major takeaways of the proposed engagement plan include: 

  • We will work together to develop a Corridor Plan 
    • The Corridor Plan will serve as a conceptual plan (not a design for construction) 
  • The Corridor Planning process will take more than 1 year 
  • This is a special engagement process developed based on what we heard from the community
  • The kick-off meeting is focused on understanding community values and goals, and sharing baseline information. Detailed conversations will occur once more information is available

In late September, 2023, the City presented the engagement plan to presidents of adjacent neighborhood associations, as well as, to leaders of the Friends of Sauk Creek to obtain feedback on the proposed plan. The engagement plan, explained in detail in the presentation below, explains the aspects of the corridor vision the community can shape, and the timeline for the development of the plan. You can view the presentation below and the notes from the Feedback and Q&A following the presentation.

Water

Water Flow Lines Sauk Creek
Sauk Creek should be designed to be a part of a flood-resilient watershed

Sauk Creek should be designed to be a part of a flood-resilient watershed.

Designing in access will allow for maintenance and repairs of public infrastructure

Designing in access will allow for maintenance and repairs of public infrastructure.

State and Federal regulations mandate the City maintain non-erosive channels

State and Federal regulations mandate the City maintain non-erosive channels.

Existing stormwater treatment ponds are no longer effectively removing sediment and nutrients

Existing stormwater treatment ponds are no longer effectively removing sediment and nutrients.

Stabilizing the channel will improve water quality in downstream ponds and lakes

Stabilizing the channel will improve water quality in downstream ponds and lakes.

For more information please see the Water subpage. 

Land

A tree inventory completed by certified arborists in 2017 and 2021 shows an estimated 4,740 trees in the corridor. 

Land Map Sauk Creek Lines
Land photo 1

Trees and vegetation have essential stormwater functions:

  • Infiltration 
  • Slope stabilization 
  • Erosion control 
Sauk Creek Land 4 photo

Trees and vegetation provide other ecosystem services including:

  • Pollinator habitat 
  • Carbon storage 
  • Heath of residents 
  • Biodiversity 
  • Wildlife habitat
  • Urban canopy 
Sauk Creek Land 2 photo

Ecological assessment is underway.

Wildlife

The City works to mitigate impacts to wildlife through the design and construction process including: consulting with wildlife experts, prioritizing tree preservation, altering construction practices, and relocating wildlife in advance of construction where appropriate. 

The City works to improve wildlife habitat by considering ecological restoration in conjunction with stormwater construction projects. 

Caption: Rusty Patch Bumble Bee, a federally endangered species, found on a City of Madison reconstructed stormwater pond

Rusty Patch Bumble Bee, a federally endangered species, found on a City of Madison reconstructed stormwater pond.

For more information please visit the Land subpage. 

People

The primary function of the corridor is for stormwater conveyance and treatment. However, as it is public land, we want to create as many co-benefits for people to access and utilize the corridor as well.  

Use

  • How is the corridor used? 
  • What does the community value? 
  • What goals should the corridor plan address?

Accessibility

  • How is the corridor an accessible public space for everyone to enjoy? 
  • Are there existing barriers that can be addressed with the corridor plan?

Mobility

The West Area Plan is looking at bicycle and pedestrian transportation connections, including potential connections in and across the Sauk Creek Greenway.

The West Area Plan will contain high level recommendations on future land use, transportation (including shared-use paths), and other topics throughout the West Area Plan boundary. The Area Plan will contain recommendations for the overall transportation systems including recommendations for connections needed to make safe, accessible and efficient travel by all transportation modes possible.  The West Area Plan is reviewing how a potential Sauk Creek Greenway path can fit in to Area-wide improvements to pedestrian and bicycle facilities. West Area Plan staff checked in with several boards/ committees/ commissions (BCCs) in December, 2023 to provide an update and gather BCC feedback prior to producing a draft for public review, which are planned for late February or early March, but aren’t yet scheduled. Information on West Area Plan BCC meetings is posted on the project website.    

The Sauk Creek Greenway Corridor Plan is a more narrow process that will focus on specifics within the corridor. The Corridor Plan will inform design recommendations for the channel and other elements from City studies and plans, like the West Area Plan. There are elements that were called out in the Corridor Plan presentation where we are specifically looking for community input to directly shape the project (channel cross sections, ecological enhancements, etc.).  Potential aspects of the project, such as a bike and pedestrian path, have larger regional considerations – the Corridor Plan will look to the West Area Plan to make recommendations at the regional level. If a path is recommended in the West Area Plan it may be recommended for construction with the greenway project, or at a future date.  Regardless, recommendations regarding any paths, will be documented for consideration in the future.  If you want to provide input on the larger regional considerations, it is important to engage with the West Area Plan process. 

As engineering projects come up, to make improvements to public spaces, such as the Sauk Creek Greenway, the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Area Plans act as a guide for developing more detailed designs. When reviewing proposed projects, policy makers, boards and commissions will consider consistency with adopted plans, and inconsistencies will need to be explained to the governing bodies. While the City aims to only include feasible projects in plans, developing design-level information that requires taking topographic survey, permitting constraints, etc., into consideration can sometimes show a project is not feasible based on the topography or other detailed design elements that may not have been available to incorporate at the higher planning level. 

For more information, please visit the People subpage.

Project Schedule 

The Corridor Plan process is anticipated to last through 2024. In early 2025, the City will begin identifying the design phasing for this section (the phasing will be determined later in the corridor planning process) and develop a preliminary design based on the corridor plan. The detailed engineering design, as well as public engagement and final permitting, will last at least 6-9 months. Therefore construction will not begin in the corridor until fall 2025 at the earliest. 

Public Involvement

There are a number of points of contact during this project where the public is encouraged to give feedback as part of public information meetings and City board and committee meetings. Dates and times are indicated below:

Public Information Meetings

  • Issues and Opportunities, Public Meeting (1 in person, 1 virtual), November 2023
  • Concept Refinement, Public Meeting, Winter 2023-2024
    Meeting information will be posted when available
  • Draft Preliminary Corridor Plan, Public Meeting, Spring 2024
    Meeting information will be posted when available
  • Draft Final Corridor Plan, Public Meeting, Summer 2024
    Meeting information will be posted when available
  • Final Corridor Plan & Implementation, Public Meeting, Fall 2024
    Meeting information will be posted when available

City Meetings, Process 

Transportation Commission: New information will be posted when available.
Board of Parks Commission: New information will be posted when available.
Board of Public Works: New information will be posted when available.
Common Council: New information will be posted when available.

Information Archive from Pre-Corridor Plan 

A public information meeting was held for the original, proposed project March 13, 2018. 
March 13, 2018 Public Information Meeting PowerPoint Presentation
Public Comments Received Through March 30, 2018

Separate, yet related public information meetings were held for the Pheasant Branch Watershed Study, which contains the Sauk Creek Greenway. Three public information meetings for the Madison Pheasant Branch Watershed Study were held May 4, 2019, June 18, 2020 and February 10, 2022. The February 10, 2022 meeting was followed by a break-out group per proposed solution.

For more detailed information about the 2017 tree inventory, and the ability to view tree locations and ratings, please view the Sauk Creek Greenway Restoration Tree Survey Story Map .This map was created in 2018 and will be updated with the ecological assessment information in early 2024.

The Ecological Summary, authored by Tree Health Management after completing the 2017 tree inventory, can be found here: Sauk Creek Ecological Summary Each tree greater than 3” in diameter was surveyed and given a condition rating. This occurred from November-December of 2017. The collected Tree Data in Excel spreadsheet format can be found here: Tree Data

Engineering created a document that responds to frequently asked questions about the Sauk Creek Greenway Restoration Project in October 2022 to address the common questions at that time.  The FAQ can be accessed here: Sauk Creek Greenway Restoration Frequently Asked Questions_October, 2022.

Sauk Creek Greenway Restoration Full Webpage Archive_10-13-23.

Project Updates

The West Area Plan has scheduled upcoming public meetings. Please see the West Area Plan webpage for details. 

For those interested in an opportunity to provide input on citywide vegetation management on stormwater utility lands, please visit the City Engineering Stormwater Utility Vegetation Management Plan webpage. 

Thank you to all who attended the kick-off meetings in November. The City has consolidated and summarized the questions and comments we received during those meetings, as well as a response to some commonly asked questions. We look forward to answering the rest of your questions during upcoming meetings.

Summary of comments received during kick-off meetings

Responses to common questions from kick-off meetings

List of questions and comments received during kick-off meetings

If you did not have the opportunity to share your values and goals for the project during the meetings, or via the online survey, we would appreciate you responding to the questions in the Sauk Creek Greenway Corridor Plan - Share Your Values & Goals Survey. Please only respond to these questions once. The City will aggregate the responses and share the results following at the end of the "Issues and Opportunities" phase of the corridor plan.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Nov. 9, 2023 Virtual Public Information Meeting. The meeting recording is now available: 
Nov. 9, 2023 Public Information Meeting Recording

Thank you to everyone who attended the in-person kick-off meeting on Nov. 6, 2023! The meeting slides are now available: Nov. 6, 2023 In-Person Kick-off Meeting PowerPoint Presentation

If you did not have the opportunity to respond to the 6 questions posted around the meeting room, you may respond to the questions in the Sauk Creek Greenway Corridor Plan - Share Your Values & Goals Survey. Please only respond to these questions once. The City will aggregate the responses and share the results following at the end of the "Issues and Opportunities" phase of the corridor plan.

Kick-off Meeting:

We are excited to announce the dates for the kick-off meetings of the Sauk Creek Corridor Plan. Due to the immense interest in the corridor, and to accommodate as many people as possible, the kick-off meeting will be held in both in-person and virtual formats on separate dates. The meetings will cover the same information, so you only need to attend one, but are welcome to attend both meetings.

The meetings will provide an overview of the three main aspects impacting the corridor—water, land and people, and will explain the corridor plan process so you know what to expect over the coming year. During this first meeting, we want to hear about your values, how you use the corridor, and your goals for the corridor plan. There will be an opportunity to share your input, as well as tell us what questions you’d like answered during the corridor plan process.

In-person: Monday, November 6 from 6:30-8:30pm at Vel Phillips Memorial High School, Wisconsin Neighborhood Center, Room 1210, 201 S Gammon Rd, Madison, WI 53717. Please enter at south entrance through the main doors, take a left, and room 1210 will be on your left. Please register for this meeting at this link on Eventbrite so we can make sure we have enough chairs and tables. There is no fee or ticket required to attend.

A virtual Public Information Meeting was held on Thursday, November 9 from 6:30-8:30pm via Zoom.

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