Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of December 15, 2025

In the D19

• On December 9, the Common Council approved all five items with District 19 impacts.
  • Agenda item 11 (Legistar 90552) amends the Transit Oriented Development Zoning Overlay (TOD Overlay) permitting more housing types and restricting new auto-oriented buildings of some types (but not affecting existing businesses). The TOD Overlay includes sections of Mineral Point Road, Whitney Way, and University Avenue in District 19. The Plan Commission recommended a substitute version (version 2). The Council did not approve an amendment submitted by Alder Tishler which would have required conditional use permits for some new housing in the Hill Farms historical district.
  • Agenda item 12 (Legistar 90553) re-zones 659 N Whitney Way and 5003 University Avenue from Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMX) to Regional Mixed Use (RMX) consistent with the adopted West Area Plan.
  • Agenda item 13 (Legistar 90554) re-zones 402-434 and 429 Gammon Place and 433 S Gammon Road from Commercial Corridor (CC) to Regional Mixed Use (RMX) and 5701-5801 Mineral Point Road and 422 S Rosa Road from Suburban Employment (SE) to Regional Mixed Use (RMX) consistent with the adopted West Area Plan.
  • Agenda item 52 (Legistar 91020) requests award of a contract for playground equipment to Best Value Contracting including $61,710.66 for Skyview Park.
  • Agenda item 58 (Legistar 90965) requests approval of $5.6 million of affordable housing funds for MSP Real Estate’s 437 S Yellowstone Senior Apartments.
• Wisconsin DOT Beltline Study: Public comments on the December 4 presentation of state recommended improvements to the Beltline can be submitted until January 15, 2026. There is a link to a comment form on the public engagement webpage. I have already received emails uniformly arguing against additional lanes (other than an extension of the flex lane). I’m working with Madison staff on a more detailed City response to the state recommendations.

Updates and Notices

• Envision Downtown Madison kick-off meeting materials are now available! Thanks to the approximately 175 people who attended the Envision Downtown Madison kick-off meeting on December 2nd.  If you missed the meeting, you can still participate as all meeting materials are now available on the Downtown Area Plan webpage. This includes the meeting video, presentation slides, and digital versions of the engagement activities. A summary of comments will be prepared and shared in early 2026. See the Spanish version of the video recording here. If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a conversation or presentation with City staff, please reach out to downtownplan@cityofmadison.com
• John Nolen Drive Project: Get current information about road closures and construction updates for John Nolen Drive.

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 special meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 16, at 6:00 p.m. in hybrid format. This is a special meeting to appoint election inspectors.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Common Council – Discussion: The Common Council discussion will take place on Tuesday, December 16, immediately following the special meeting, which starts at 6:00 p.m., in Room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building. This is a discussion on City strategies to maintain and improve lake health.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Watch Online
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, December 15, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 15, and 18.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

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)

• Far West Operations Building, Monday, December 15: A public information meeting is scheduled for this project at 6 p.m., Dec. 15, 2025, via Zoom. Registration prior is required.

Announcements and News Releases

• Love Our Lakes: City Strategies to Maintain and Improve Lake Health: The City of Madison Common Council will host a focused discussion titled “Love Our Lakes: City Strategies to Maintain and Improve Lake Health.” This conversation will highlight both ongoing and future initiatives to protect, restore, and enhance the… [posted December 12, 2025]
• Affordable Housing Fund to Support 400+ New Homes: The City of Madison’s Common Council has approved nearly $14 million from the Affordable Housing Fund to support the creation of approximately 425 new rental homes across the City, with more than 260 of those offering permanent affordability. [posted December 10, 2025]
• Common Council passes third Housing Forward package of 2025 : The City of Madison Common Council approved two more housing-focused ordinances during its December 9 meeting, capping off a year of impactful policy changes to make it easier to build more homes across Madison. [posted December 9, 2025]
• Streets Division Drop-off Sites on Winter Hours until April 11, 2026: The Streets Division drop-off sites at 4602 Sycamore Avenue and 402 South Point Road are now on winter hours. The winter hours began on Friday, December 5, 2025. The last day for winter hours is Friday, April 10, 2026.  Expanded hours return on… [posted December 8, 2025]
• New Snowplow Trading Cards Now Available!: The City of Madison is proud to present a new set of trading cards featuring our named snowplowing fleet. The cards are available for free at any Madison Public Library location and from the Streets Division offices while supplies last. [posted December 8, 2025]

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

• Conservation Volunteer Workday, Saturday, December 20: We invite volunteers to help make a difference in the health of our local environment by joining us for invasive species removal. These hands-on conservation efforts are essential in restoring native ecosystems and ensuring the vitality of our natural spaces.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, December 20: Holiday Nature Walk ~ Join Friends of Starkweather Creek for a healthy holiday walk outdoors to enjoy the beauty of winter along Starkweather Creek!  
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park, Sunday, December 21: Winter Solstice Walk ~ Join Naturalists Kathlean Wolf and Robin Kling for a fun free family and kid friendly walk on easy paths along Warner Pond Lagoon and through Warner Woods to the top of Sled Hill.
• Holiday Fantasy in Lights, Saturday, November 15, through Monday, January 5, 2026: Lighted holiday-themed displays set in beautiful Olin Park. Drive through from dusk until 10:00pm to enjoy this magical light show for free, brought to you by The Electric Group.

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.