Week of February 23rd
postedDear District 16 Neighbors,
I hope that you are doing well and staying warm! It’s been a while since I last shared an update on what I have been up to in the community, but I’ve been staying busy!
Earlier this month, we celebrated the opening of the new shelter at Door Creek Park! It was wonderful to join families, city leaders, and folks from the Madison Nordic Ski Club for a day of activities at the park. When weather permits, there will be snowshoe, ski, and skate rentals available (though this winter is proving challenging for snow!).
I also want to extend my gratitude to Officer Molly Thompson from the Madison Police Department who recently took me for a ride along to see what our officers experience in their jobs on a daily basis.
Last week, I met with a bipartisan group of legislators to advocate for a more equitable formula for funding municipalities, changes to TID & TIF, and increases in support for homeless services and childcare from the state. Ensuring that we have a strong working relationship with our partners in the state legislature is critical to keeping Madison moving forward on sustainable footing.
We hosted our fifth and final public information meeting on the Madison-McFarland Intergovernmental Agreement. If you could not make the meetings, you can learn more here. I would also recommend checking out the FAQ document that was put together for the agreement, which you can find here.
Lastly, I want to thank the Reston Heights Home Owners Association for the opportunity to speak at their annual meeting and answer your questions about all things city! Getting to be out in the community and meet with my neighbors is the best part of this job.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m eager to hear from you!
-Sean
Prescribed Burns:
The City of Madison Parks and Engineering Divisions are again teaming up to conduct prescribed burns across Madison. These burns will take place from March through May to promote, establish, and maintain existing native vegetation as part of the Madison Parks Land Management Plan.
Prescribed burns are the intentional use of fire, under specific environmental conditions, to manage and suppress invasive vegetation. Many of Wisconsin's native species have adapted to survive or benefit from such fire events, while at the same time the presence of invasive or undesirable species is reduced.
Prescribed burns occur after comprehensive planning and under specific weather conditions conducive to a safe and manageable operation. You can read more at Prescribed Burns: Reducing Wildfire Risks & Protecting Habitats.
Prescribed Burn Locations in District 16:
Acewood Conservation Park
Door Creek Park
Elvehjem Sanctuary
Owl Creek Park
Upper Mud Lake Pond
You can find a full list of burn locations here.
City of Madison Housing Report
The City of Madison Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development released their 2025 Housing Snapshot report.
The 2025 Housing Snapshot tracks and compares metrics to lead to a clearer understanding of the City of Madison’s housing needs and to gauge progress that City programs, community partners, and housing developers are making over time to improve housing choice. Using a mix of economic, demographic, and housing data from public and private sources to help describe Madison’s housing situation.
Building on data updates from the 2023 Housing Snapshot, this report is reorganized and includes new metrics and data visualizations responsive to 2025 input from the City’s Housing Policy Committee, including a new set of “Example Households” to convey more about who lives here in Madison to a broad audience.
Many takeaways echo the 2023 Housing Snapshot, and both reports continue to inform housing policies and programs. While housing production has increased, growth in housing demand still outpaces new supply and land and construction costs continue to increase rapidly, resulting in continued competition and fewer housing choices, particularly for low-income households. Here are some 2025 Housing Snapshot highlights:
New Housing Construction
- Over 22,400 homes of all types were completed in Madison between 2015–2024, representing a 20% increase in the city's total number of homes. Roughly 45% of these homes have been built close to high-frequency transit service.
Rental Housing Market
At time of publication, the City’s stabilized rental vacancy rate has risen to 4.8%, approaching a healthy level (typically 5%–7%). The lowest vacancy rates (indicating highest competition) are seen in lower quality, lower cost rental housing.
Roughly ¾ of renter-households making over the median income rent housing that would be affordable to low- and moderate-income households, reducing housing choices for these households.
Household incomes are diverging more than rent costs, meaning higher-income households have more choices and lower-income households have fewer choices than they did a decade ago.
Of the estimated 17,105 households who are either very low-income renters or experiencing homelessness, roughly 1 in 3 are cost-burdened non-student households with a lack of subsidized or otherwise affordable housing.
Significant racial and ethnic disparities in rental housing affordability persist, though over the last decade, the rent affordable to a median-income Hispanic or Latino household has risen from below median rent to $200 above median rent, indicating a potential increase in housing choice.
You can learn more about the reports here and find a full copy of the report here.
MPD Demonstrations & Assembly Presentation
The right to protest, peacfully assemble and and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances is one of the most important aspects of our democracy. After recieveing questions about MPD's role at these events, the Madison Police Department East District will be hosting a "Demonstrations and Assembly" Presentation to help people understand MPDs roll during demostrations and protests.
Where: Pinney Library Community Room B (516 Cottage Grove Road.)
When: Friday, February 27th from EDIT TIME UPDATE: 1:00-2:00pm.
Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings
Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.
Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 24, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda Items of Interest include:
Item #20: Approving plans and specifications and authorizing the Board of Public Works to advertise and receive bids for Safe Streets Madison 2026
- Item #23: Designating City of Madison polling locations for the 2026 spring election. (I am a sponsor)
- Item #32: Allocating $2.9 million from the City of Madison’s Affordable Housing Fund. (I am a sponsor)
- Item #37: Authorizing the city to enter into a contract with RENEW Madison to administer the MadiSUN Solar Program from 2026-27. (I am a sponsor)
- Item #41: The 4th Quarter Report from the Police Chief John Patterson.
- Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include Public Works contracts and projects in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.
If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.
Public Information Meetings (PIMs)
State Street Campus Garage Percent for Art Design Presentations, Monday, February 23: The State Street Campus Garage Percent for Art project finalists, Matthew Mazzotta, Studio KCA, and Area C Projects, will present their designs to the public for the first time.
Sugar Maple Lane Reconstruction, Monday, February 23: The City is planning to extend Sugar Maple Lane to Hazy Sky Parkway, install sanitary sewer main and laterals, water main and laterals, storm sewer main and laterals, box culvert, base course, curb and gutter, asphalt pavement, bike path, sidewalk, pavement markings, signs, and street lighting. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Feb. 23, 2026, via zoom.
Virtual Open House | District 10 Parks, Tuesday, February 24 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southwest Park Development Plan process coinciding with the City Planning Division's Southwest Area Plan. The meetings will include an overview of the planning effort's goals, a review of the neighborhood parks included, and an opportunity for area residents and park visitors to share their thoughts on future park improvements.
Madison Area Community Land Trust Orientation, Tuesday, February 24: The orientation is where Madison Area Community Land Trust (MACLT) staff give you a more detailed overview of the Madison Area Community Land Trust and how our homeownership program works, and are available to answer questions so you can understand if our program is a good fit for you.
Virtual Open House | District 10 Parks, Wednesday, February 24 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southwest Park Development Plan process coinciding with the City Planning Division's Southwest Area Plan. The meetings will include an overview of the planning effort's goals, a review of the neighborhood parks included, and an opportunity for area residents and park visitors to share their thoughts on future park improvements.
Dickson Pl, Irwin Pl, Dodge St, Carver St, Martin St Reconstruction, Thursday, February 26: The City of Madison is planning to reconstruct streets and utilities within the Lake Forest neighborhood over three phases of construction. The first phase is planned to include Dickson Place, Irwin Place, Dodge Street, and portions of Martin Street and Carver Street. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Feb. 26, 2026, via Zoom.
Announcements and News Releases
Street Closure – E Main Street and S Hancock Street: Beginning at 7:00 am on Monday, February 23rd, R.G. Huston Co. will resume construction on the E. Main Street and S. Hancock Street reconstruction project started in 2025. Concurrent with this work, utility companies will continue replacing… [posted February 20, 2026]
Madison Public Library Celebrates the Legacy of Agatha Christie at Meadowridge Library This March: MADISON, WI – From March 3-27, Meadowridge Library will host a series of programs for all ages in honor of the 50th anniversary of Agatha Christie's passing. These literary-themed events include theater performances, escape rooms, cooking classes,… [posted February 20, 2026]
Finalist designs for State Street Campus Garage/Hawthorne Court public art released: Members of the community are invited to provide feedback on the proposed designs and hear from the artists at an upcoming community meeting. [posted February 19, 2026]
Madison Public Library Receives $20,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York: MADISON, WI – Madison Public Library received a $20,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie. [posted February 18, 2026]
Connecting with Madison’s Near-West Alders: The City of Madison invites residents and community members to meet with alders from the Near-West Districts. The Meet and Greet will take place in the Community Room at Midtown Police District… [posted February 18, 2026]
Thank you for voting, provisional voting reminder:Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday’s primary election. The City of Madison is reviewing materials and preparing for the Municipal Board of Canvass on Friday. [posted February 18, 2026]
New Software Chosen to Support LINKcat Changes this Spring for South Central Library Users: MADISON, WI -- Library users from across the South Central Library System can look forward to new features in the online catalog LINKcat this spring. The seven-county library consortium recently selected SirsiDynix Symphony as their new integrated… [posted February 17, 2026]
Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.
Events
Near-West Alders Meet & Greet, Monday, February 23: Join us for an evening to meet your Near-West Alders in person! This casual meetup is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions, share your ideas, and connect with neighbors face-to-face. Bring your curiosity and good vibes—it's all about community and making new friends.
Lakeside Dance Lab: Beginner Reggaeton, Thursday, February 26: Reggaeton dance is a passionate, rhythmic style with Caribbean and hip-hop roots, emphasizing hips and body isolations, all driven by the dembow beat, a percussion loop that’s central to reggaeton music. It’s popular in clubs for its energetic, expressive nature.
"Sarah's Oil" Film Screening, Friday, February 27: In celebration of Black History Month, the City of Madison Department of Civil Rights, Dane County Office for Equity and Inclusion, and Monona Terrace present the film, "Sarah's Oil.”
Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor, Saturday, February 28: Winter Bumble ~ Join Naturalist Jeff Nesta for a free fun educational family friendly guided walk to look for and learn about what’s happening in nature in winter. There may be hot chocolate and a campfire with smores after the walk.
Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.
Alder Sean O'Brien
District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien