Meetings and Updates Week of July 24th
postedMeeting and Updates Week of July 24, 2023
- Meetings
- Plan Commission 7/24
- Common Council 7/25
- Transportation Commission 7/26
- 402 Rustic Drive Rezoning Proposal Update: Background, Zoning, My Position
- Coffee with a Cop 7/27 at Hawthorne Library
- CARES Program Quarterly Report
- Events & Announcements
City Meetings
Plan Commission
The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, July 24, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include development related requests in Districts 4, 9, 15, and 16, zoning text amendments to add an exception to height and story minimum requirements.
Common Council
The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 in hybrid format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include an update to land subdivision regulations, directing staff to take the steps necessary to conduct an experimental closure of the 400-600 blocks of State Street, zoning updates in the East Towne area as part of the Greater East Towne Area Plan, authorizing a Water Service Agreement with the Town of Blooming Grove to allow qualifying properties to participate in City water service (I'm cosponsoring), authorizing the City of Madison to accept a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support the development of a Permanent Men's Shelter.
Transportation Commission
The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in virtual format at 5:00 PM. Agenda items include a presentation and discussion of long-range redesign and reconstruction options for the roadway and intersections of North Stoughton Road (north of Hwy 30). The presentation isn’t posted yet but will be available next week under this item in Legistar. Here’s WisDOT's project webpage for background.
402 Rustic Drive Rezoning Proposal Update
Background
Care Net of Dane County is interested in buying the Emerson Senior Living facility site at 402 Rustic Drive. Care Net’s intended use, housing and caring for homeless or low-income pregnant parents until or shortly after birth, qualifies as a “mission house” land use which is not allowed under current low-density suburban residential SR-C1 zoning. They wanted to see if the neighborhood would support rezoning to a zoning district that allows their intended use or changing zoning text of the current zoning district to allow their use in existing zoning. North Star neighborhood leaders and I agreed to host a neighborhood meeting on 7/19 to discuss the proposal and their intended use with residents.
Zoning
The Emerson site is currently in the lowest-density suburban residential zoning district, SR-C1, as is called for in this area by the Sprecher Neighborhood Development Plan, along much of the surrounding area. SR-C1 allows low-density residential uses like detached single-family homes, adult family homes, community living arrangements, etc., but not mission houses like what Care Net intends to operate. A mission house is considered to be a “facility operated by a religious institution or nonprofit organization that provides lodging. May also include the provision of meals, worship services, or other supportive services.”
The current Emerson site owners have not yet submitted an application to rezone the property, so City staff had not yet officially determined which zoning district to recommend for Care Net’s intended use (that process follows the submission of an application by the owner). However there are a few districts that we know allow mission house uses: urban (not suburban) residential, downtown districts, and mixed-use/commercial districts. Ultimately, the parcel would need to be rezoned to one of these other, more intensive-use zoning districts, or the City would need to change the ordinance establishing permitted uses of SR-C1 throughout the City to allow for mission houses.
My Position
I've had emails and calls from a few dozen neighbors who reached out after receiving my postcard invitation to the 7/19 meeting, some who came to our neighborhood meeting on Wednesday and some who didn't, who are thus far unanimously concerned or opposed to changing the zoning at the site for this use. Stated reasons for their opposition include the possible future (more intensive) uses allowable in a changed zoning district at the Emerson site that also allows mission houses, opposition to a zoning district change would contradict the Sprecher Neighborhood Development Plan, the potential for mission house activities to occur in more residential neighborhoods around the City if we change zoning code to allow mission house uses in current site zoning, and opposition to the actual uses of the site as proposed by Care Net of Dane County.
I let the Emerson owners know yesterday that I would not support a proposal to rezone 402 Rustic for this if a rezoning application is submitted to the City. Owners can still submit a rezoning application if they wish, which would then go through the review process with City Zoning staff, a public hearing at the Plan Commission, and a public hearing at Common Council. I will provide additional updates in future blog posts if there is more news to share. Please feel free to reach out any time if you have questions or comments: district3@cityofmadison.com.
Coffee with a Cop 7/27 at Hawthorne Library
From East District MPD:
“Hello! We will have our monthly 'Coffee with a Cop', at The Hawthorne Library (2707 E Washington Ave.) in the front community room. Coffee will be provided for those who join us! For this event and future Coffee with a Cop events we will be continuing our efforts of adjusting when we hold our event to allow for more flexibility across the community. My hope is by adjusting the time for our Coffee with a Cop event we can fit more individual's schedules. Our next coffee day is scheduled on Thursday, July 27th, 2023 from 10:00am-11:00am. Please feel free to stop in at any time to participate. As usual, we are excited about this opportunity and ask that you spread the word to anyone who might be interested in this community event. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at ncrowder@cityofmadison.com.
This Coffee with a Cop will be hosted by Neighborhood Patrol Officer (NPO) Neal Crowder who will be taking over these events for the remainder of the year. Due to us operating offsite there will not be a Zoom function for this specific event.”
CARES Program Quarterly Report
Events & Announcements
- East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, July 25, 2023: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.
- Parks Alive | Worthington Park, Tuesday, July 25, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Worthington Park: June 27, July 11, July 25, and August 8.
- Urban League of Greater Madison: Financial Empowerment Workshop Series #1, Tuesday, July 25, 2023: Do you have financial goals you are working to attain? Maybe you'd like to purchase a home, start your own business, or plan for retirement? The Urban League's free Financial Empowerment series of workshops can help you build the budget to achieve those goals, understand and build your credit score, learn about other community resources that can help support your goals, and much more!
- The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, July 26, 2023: The Capitol View Farmers Market is returning to the North Star Neighborhood! Join us each Wednesday (May 31-October 11, 2023) from 3:00-7:00pm to support local farmers and vendors, enjoy live music and food carts, and make the most of summer in Madison!
- Atwood Fest, Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30, 2023: Annual two day music festival on the 2000 block of Atwood with three different stages, including a kid's stage.
- Disability Pride Festival, Saturday, July 29, 2023: Art, music, exhibitors, pontoon boat rides and more by people with disabilities for our friends and beloved community. Come join us in celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act, and pushing for greater access for all.
- Street Closure--Kinsman Blvd: Kinsman Blvd will be fully closed on the east side of N Stoughton Road for concrete paving from 6:00 a.m. Monday, July 24 until 7:00 a.m. Monday, July 31.
- Madison's First Disability Summit: The City of Madison Disability Summit: Collective Visioning for a More Equitable Future is a platform developing a city-wide agenda that will direct the work of the Department of Civil Rights – Division of Equity and Social Justice, Disability Rights and Services Program, and ensure all City programs include the voices and needs of the disability community. July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity and lived experiences of people with disabilities. On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, was signed into law. However, 33 years later people with disabilities still experience discrimination and disparities in housing, employment, education, public accommodations, and more. Judy Heumann, one of the framers of the ADA noted, “The ADA is a very important piece of legislation. But even if it were being implemented as effectively as possible, it still doesn’t address other issues that disabled people are facing.”
