2023 Neighborhood Grant Program guidelines and application are now available on the City’s webpage! See the News Story for more info. Grant applications are due February 20 by 4:30 p.m. What will you and your neighbors do? Start exploring ideas for physical improvements and leadership and capacity building initiatives. Consider attending an optional workshop to learn more: January 19, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom. Advanced registration is required. Register here and you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also attend the workshop in person on January 19, 5:00 p.m. at the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 206.

Transit-Oriented Development

The Planning Division will be hosting a virtual public meeting on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zoning on Thursday, January 12th at 6pm.  Advanced signup is required.  The meeting will contain information from previous public meetings and Committee meetings covering what TOD Overlay Zoning is, why it is being pursued, and the various components of the drafted ordinance that will be in front of Council on January 17th.  We will be showing some information and case studies on how the TOD Overlay relates to national and local historic districts due to the additional interest in that topic generated by the Transportation Policy and Planning Board’s and Plan Commission’s recommendations to Council that historic districts be included within the Overlay area.  More information on TOD Overlay Zoning is available on the project website. 

Greater Madison Music City (GMMC) report is available on the Madison Arts website. It gives an overview of economic impact and a regulatory assessment of our music scene. It concludes with recommendations to build inclusivity, create jobs, and drive sustainable tourism across all communities and demographics in the Greater Madison Area. See executive summary HERE.

Streets Division Updates:

City Updates Salt Use Ordinance for Public Sidewalks  The City of Madison new ordinance limits the use of salt or other melting agents to the amount necessary to treat the ice so it can be removed. The new change also allows the City to educate and enforce salt standards to property owners who use too much salt or melting agents. The goal of the ordinance change will keep sidewalks safe for pedestrians and also help the community cut down on salt use, which helps our area waterways. When salt moves into local waters, it contributes to making the City’s lakes and groundwater more salty, which is a public health concern.

Rules for Property Owners

  • Excess salt and chemical melting agents may not accumulate on the sidewalk and must be removed following ice or snow melt.     
  • The owner of each lot or part of lot shall remove all snow and ice upon the sidewalk abutting the premises owned no later than noon of the day after the snow or ice has accumulated on the sidewalk, regardless of the source of accumulation.
  • The owner of property abutting sidewalks on two intersecting streets shall remove all snow and ice from the sidewalks of both streets, including that portion of the sidewalks bordering the crosswalk, including the curb ramp, if any, regardless of the source of the snow accumulation.
  • First offense: $124; second offense: $187

The City’s Building Inspection Division will be responsible for enforcing the new ordinance.

Recycling Updates:

  • Master Recycler Courses Returning in 2023: There will be two more chances to take the master recycler course this year with Sustain Dane.  They’re still finalizing the dates, but it’s looking like they will happen in April and July.  Keep your eyes peeled when those dates become available so either you, or your neighbors, can sign up to take part of this class.  The Sustain Dane website for your Master Recycler information is www.sustaindane.org/Better
  • Drop-off Sites for 2023
    • The Badger Rd drop-off site will remain closed.  The construction to rebuilding the salt and sand storage facilities is finally due to get underway in 2023 after being delayed in 2022.  It is highly unlikely that a drop-off site will return to the Badger Rd location post construction in 2024.
    • For the spring through the fall of 2023, the drop-off sites will operate just like they did in 2022.
    • More information about the drop-off sites will be available in the updated Recyclopedias once they arrive in libraries, and also on the drop-off site website, www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites.
  • Food Scraps Recycling in 2023
    • The drop-off sites at the McPike Park and South Madison farmer’s markets will return this year.  The official start date hasn’t been nailed down quite yet.  Stay tuned.
    • If you have not signed up to receive news releases from the City, please do so.  All the digital noise and national news drowns out local information quite easily these days, so signing up to get information straight form the City directly is a good way to combat that.
    • To do this, go to www.cityofmadison.com/News and scroll down until you see the Subscribe to City of Madison News Update field on the right-hand side of the page.  Enter your email address into the blank and click “Subscribe.”
  • Sustainability Campus

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