2023-01-27 Neighborhood News & Updates

Learn About the Northeast and West Area Plans

Planning efforts are underway by the City of Madison to help shape the future of our West and Northeast neighborhoods. It’s part of a larger initiative to build better communities through the City’s recently approved Planning Framework. The Northeast Area Plan and West Area Plan will be the first under this new model that will ultimately cover the entire city. Guided by overarching City policies and feedback from stakeholders, these Area Plans will guide physical changes that occur over time in our community such as land use, housing, transit, streets, bike paths, and other community facilities.

Northeast Area Plan Public Meetings

  • Virtual Meeting: Tuesday, January 31 at 12:00 p.m. Registration is required and can be completed on the project webpage.
  • In-Person Meeting with Virtual Option: Tuesday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m. at the City Fleet Service Building, 4151 Nakoosa Trail. Registration for the virtual meetings is required and can be completed on the project webpage.

West Area Plan Public Meetings

  • Virtual Meeting: Monday, February 6 at 12:00 p.m. Registration is required and can be completed on the project webpage.
  • In-Person Meeting: Thursday, February 9 at 6:00 p.m. at Vel Phillips Memorial High School, 201 S. Gammon Rd. Enter front doors and look for directional signs. This meeting will have interpretation, childcare and food.
  • Virtual Meeting: Monday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required and can be completed on the project webpage.

The 2023 Neighborhood Grant Program is Open! The guidelines and application are now on the City’s webpage! See the News Story for more info. Applications are due February 20 by 4:30 p.m.

See a video of what Junction Ridge Neighborhood Association and UJAMAA have done with the funds they received from the Neighborhood Grant Program!

Arts Grants Applications Open in February! The Madison Arts Commission’s annual grant program provides funding to support the arts across our community. Applications and guidelines will be posted to our website in February: https://www.cityofmadison.com/artsgrants. Applications will be due March 15, 2023. A virtual grant writing workshop will be held in mid-February and will be recorded and made available on our website.

Want to stay in touch about calls for art, grant opportunities, project and event announcements? Subscribe to the Madison Arts Email List & Enter to win a $50 Visa gift card! The Madison Arts Commission is launching a more formal e-newsletter. Our new system will produce more user-friendly and accessible emails, however it does not allow us to transfer existing contacts. For that reason, we invite you and your network to subscribe to our new email list.

The Spring Primary is on Feb. 21, 2023 Sample ballots will be available for viewing by address on the MyVote Wisconsin website at least 21 days prior to Election Day. In Wisconsin, a Spring Primary is necessary when more than two people declare they are running for the same non-partisan office that is up for election in the Spring Election. There are a number of offices that will be on the ballot in February including Supreme Court Justice; Mayor; Alderperson, District 2; Alderperson, District 3; Alderperson, District 4; Alderperson, District 9; Alderperson, District 10; Alderperson, District 12; Alderperson, District 14; Alderperson, District 20. For each race listed above, the two candidates who receive the most votes will advance to the Spring Election ballot. The Spring Election is on April 4, 2023.

The City of Madison Assessor’s Office website allows you to find out which Aldermanic district you live in. Search by your address on the Property Look-up page. Your Aldermanic district will be listed under “City Hall.” If you live in Aldermanic districts 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, or 20, you will see the primary races for your district on your ballot.

Streets Division Updates

  • Don’t forget to vote for the names of the snowplows!  The election closes at 8:00pm on Friday, February 3.  Make sure to tell your friends and family to vote as well.  The election can be found at www.wisaltwise.com/NameThesePlows
  • Your 2023 trash & recycling calendars are available at www.cityofmadison.com/CollectionSchedule
  • Your 2023 Recyclopedias should be available sometime in February.  There were some last minute changes that needed to be made that’s delaying their arrival.  Once we have them they will be available in all Madison libraries. Stay tuned for updates.
  • We still have a long way to go to get through winter, so if you haven’t done so already, now would be a good time to go to www.cityofmadison.com/Winter. Sign up for snow plowing updates to get emails about what city plows are doing in response to storms.  Sign up for sidewalk clearing alerts so you know when you have to shovel your walks to avoid a ticket from Building Inspection.  And there’s plenty of other information on there as well.

New South Madison Tax Incremental Financing District Proposed

The City of Madison is seeking approval of a new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district (TID 51) that will provide an estimated $115 million in financial support, including $99 million in TIF funding, for South Madison.

2023-01-16 Neighborhood News & Updates

The 2023 Neighborhood Grant Program is Open! The guidelines and application are on the City’s webpage! See the News Story for more info. 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 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zoning draft ordinance will be in front of Council on January 17th. More information on TOD Overlay Zoning is available on the project website.

Arts Grants Applications Open in February! The Madison Arts Commission’s annual grant program provides funding to support the arts across our community. Applications and guidelines will be posted to our website in February: https://www.cityofmadison.com/artsgrants. Applications will be due March 15, 2023. A virtual grant writing workshop will be held in mid-February and will be recorded and made available on our website.

Want to stay in touch about calls for art, grant opportunities, project and event announcements? Subscribe to the Madison Arts Email List & Enter to win a $50 Visa gift card! The Madison Arts Commission is launching a more formal e-newsletter. Our new system will produce more user-friendly and accessible emails, however it does not allow us to transfer existing contacts. For that reason, we invite you and your network to subscribe to our new email list.

Streets Division Updates

2023-01-06 Neighborhood News & Updates

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

Metro Bus Route Redesign

The upcoming network redesign for the Madison Metro Bus is scheduled to change June 11th 2023. Each individual’s experience will vary depending on if they use the Metro, where they live, and where they need to go. One of the goals in the redesign is to increase frequency of service, which results in some riders having further to walk/travel than they are used to.

Currently, there are individual route maps that pertain to the redesign in June. https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/documents/Individual_Route_Maps_Dec-22_final.pdf
While all the routes may be important for individual trips, our neighborhood will have service most directly available on Routes D2 and E.