Project Updates
Comprehensive Plan Adopted, Hard Copies of the Plan Available
August 7, 2018 was a momentous day… The Imagine Madison Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the Common Council! Since that momentous day, staff has incorporated all of the Common Council-approved changes into a final version of the Plan and hard copies of this document are hot off the press.
We’re figuring most folks will interact with the Plan online. For those that would like to see or have a physical copy, you have options. There is a copy at the reference desk at all nine Madison Public Library locations. MPL will also have two copies in circulation that can be checked out. Hard copies of the Plan can be purchased for $24. Please contact us to confirm availability and arrange pickup.
Next Step – Implementation
Next up on the to-do list…working to implement the Plan’s recommendations. The City is committed to bringing the Plan’s recommendations to reality. However, fulfilling our collective vision will require contributions from the entire community. To learn more about the Plan and how you or your organization can partner with the City to implement the Plan, please contact us.
Imagine Madison at the 2018 Mayor’s Neighborhood Conference
Please join us at the Mayor’s Neighborhood Conference on Saturday, November 17 at Monona Terrace. There will be two sessions directly related to Imagine Madison. The first session will highlight priorities heard through working directly with community organizations to reach historically underrepresented groups. Our second session will describe how the Plan will be used to help guide the city’s growth and development over the next 10+ years and how the Plan fits in to the development process.
A Greater Madison Vision
With Imagine Madison moving towards implementation, please consider weighing in on the future of the larger region. Through Imagine Madison, we planned for 70,000 new City of Madison residents by 2040. Dane County as a whole is expected to grow by about 150,000 people over a similar timeframe, almost twice the number of seats in Camp Randall Stadium.
A Greater Madison Vision is an initiative to develop a shared vision and plan to guide public and private decisions about how the larger region – Dane County and surrounding communities – grows, to foster exceptional quality of life, economic opportunity, and a healthy environment for all. Go to greatermadisonvision.com to take a 10-minute online survey. You can explore four alternate futures considering housing, transportation, roads, rural preservation, water, and the environment, and provide your priorities on how the region should grow. If you have any questions, please contact Steve Steinhoff with the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission.
Brian, Kirstie, Ben, and the Imagine Madison Team
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.243.0470 | 608.266.4866 | 608.261.9980
imaginemadisonwi.com | Facebook | Twitter
Draft Plan is Available
Yes! After 18 months of public engagement, the Draft Comprehensive Plan is available for review at the Imagine Madison Website. You can also review a hard copy at any Madison Public Library and the Madison Planning Division offices at 126 South Hamilton Street.
So what does it say? Here’s a short list of the key recommendations from the Plan:
- More housing choices
- Transit Improvements
- Family-Supporting Jobs
- Majority of growth as infill or redevelopment
The ever-popular side-by-side Generalized Future Land Use Map comparison tool has been updated to reflect the Plan Commission’s continued review of the map.
How to Comment on the Plan
As a community, we’ve been working to create this plan, but we’re not done yet. We need your comments to complete this effort. There are several ways to provide comments.
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Provide your comments through CiviComment. You can also see other reviewers’ comments.
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Email the Imagine Madison team at imaginemadison@cityofmadison.com
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Attend the June 4 Plan Commission Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing or any one of the many presentations at various City boards, committees, and commissions. You can see our full schedule of meetings on our Events page.
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Whatever your preferred method of reviewing and commenting on the plan, please provide your comments before the June 4 Plan Commission meeting.
How Comments will be Reviewed
We’ll receive many comments from the public, as well as from City boards, committees, and commissions. These comments will be reviewed by the Plan Commission, the City body in control of the Comprehensive Plan update. The Plan Commission will make a recommendation to the Madison Common Council. The Common Council will then review and consider adoption of the Plan.
Thank you to the more than 15,000 participants for making Imagine Madison such a valuable process.
Brian, Kirstie, and the Imagine Madison Team
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.261.9980 | 608.243.0470
What We Heard
Phase 3 of Imagine Madison is in the books. During this phase, we focused on prioritization and implementation. Thank you to everyone that weighed in to help shape our future.
Strategies
We asked how you would prioritize the Strategies—the approach we’ll use to achieve the goals established in Phase 1. What is most important to our community going forward? You can see the community’s results here.
Actions
We also asked for your suggested Actions to implement the Strategies. Nearly 4,000 Action ideas were submitted. We’ve summarized some of the key Action idea themes that correspond to the highest ranked Strategies.
Growth Prioritization
Finally, we asked where we should prioritize growth. Generally, where should we accommodate the 40,000 new housing units that Madison is projected to add by 2040? We were somewhat surprised by the results. In addition, a portion of Phase 3 participants suggested specific locations across the City that could accommodate future growth. See these comments on this interactive map.
Final Call for Future Land Use Map Comments
A key component of the Comprehensive Plan Update is updating the Generalized Future Land Use (FLU) Map. This map is our plan for how we will grow. We introduced a Draft FLU Map back in April of 2017 and received many comments from the community. The City’s Plan Commission reviewed these comments, and based on their direction we’ve created an updated version.
We wanted to reach out one more time for any additional comments that you, or your neighborhood, may have on the Draft FLU Map. The deadline for comments is noon on Friday, March 2. We’ve plugged the latest version of the map into our handy-dandy side by side comparison map where you can compare the February 2018 Draft of the map with the 2006 Comprehensive Plan FLU Map. We’ve also updated our FLU Map FAQs.
Mark Your Calendar
We are perfectly ok with Jimmy and Phil predicting six more weeks of winter. Over the next two months, we’ll be working feverishly putting together 14 months of community feedback into the Draft Comprehensive Plan Update document. We anticipate having the Draft Plan available for your review and comment in early May. At that time, we’ll publicize the many opportunities to weigh in on the Draft Plan during the City’s review and Plan adoption process.
Thanks,
Brian and Kirstie
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.261.9980 | 608.243.0470
imaginemadisonwi.com | Facebook | Twitter
Your Wish List for Madison
Set your timer. Our final survey will close on Friday night. What is this survey all about? Think of it as your wish list for our community. What is most important to you? Where should we prioritize growth?
Thank You
A sincere thank you for taking the time to weigh in as to how we can make our community better for everyone. We’ve interacted with 3,000+ people in person and 10,000+ people online during our 14-month whirlwind tour of Madison. A tremendous response.
Next Steps
Our New Year’s resolution… To package the feedback we’ve received into a Plan that best reflects the needs of our community. Your feedback is guiding an update to the City’s Comprehensive Plan—a Plan that will help shape the community going forward. For the next several months, we’ll be hunkered down working on the Plan. We’ll resurface in the spring with a Draft Plan and will then ask for your final thoughts. Keep your eye out for us. In the meantime, please continue to Imagine Madison.
Brian and Kirstie
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.261.9980 | 608.243.0470
imaginemadisonwi.com | Facebook | Twitter
Phase 3 Online Survey
We want your opinion on the priorities for Madison and how our community can be improved for everyone. In our third and final survey, you can prioritize strategies to tell us what Madison should work on first, share your ideas for action steps, and provide your insights about how Madison should accommodate new development. To weigh in, please go here.
Here are a few things we’ve recently heard from the community:
- “Increase access to K-5 walking neighborhood schools. Decrease bussing of elementary school children.”
- “As malls decline, replace them with intentional multi-family housing communities.”
- “Use libraries to offer/host programs on career opportunities and job trainings.”
For The Record
Thank you to Neil Heinen and the folks over at Channel 3 for spotlighting Imagine Madison and our Resident Panels on For The Record this past Sunday. The Resident Panels are an integral part of our public listening campaign. If you missed the broadcast, you can watch the show here.
Brian and Kirstie
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.261.9980 | 608.243.0470
Hello!
You’ll probably wake up Sunday morning extra refreshed and full of energy with that extra hour from Daylight Saving Time. Let’s focus that energy on Imagining the Madison we’d like to see!
Attend the Cap Times Talk this Tuesday
The next Cap Times Talk is right up our alley. The question: How can Madison build more great neighborhoods? There will be a thought provoking panel discussion from 6:00 -7:00 pm. From 7:00 -8:00 pm, share your thoughts with Imagine Madison staff at three interactive stations. RSVP here.
The outstanding panel includes:
• Michael Ford, an architecture instructor at Madison College whose work on the intersection of hip-hop culture and architecture has gained nationwide attention
• David Mollenhoff, Madison historian and a key player in the 1960s revitalization of the Marquette neighborhood
• Tariq Saqqaf, the city of Madison’s neighborhood resource coordinator
• Heather Stouder, the city of Madison’s planning division director
• Sheray Wallace, Meadowood neighborhood activist
We’re currently working on fun Imagine Madison placemats for the High Noon’s tables. Does anyone have a round laminator?
Attend the NPC’s Imagine Madison Meeting this Wednesday
We’re partnering with the Northside Planning Council to hear what Northsiders have to say...and everyone else is invited. Please RSVP here.
Vote Online – What should be Madison’s top priorities?
Our interactive online activities for Phase 3 have gone live! We want to know:
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How should we prioritize the Strategies?
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What Actions would you recommend?
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Where should we prioritize Growth?
Check out our latest Story Map
See where development occurred over the last 10 years, before you vote for where development should be focused over the next 10 years.
Experience the Phase 3 Community Meetings Presentation
Thank you to those that attended our Community Meetings last week! You can (kind of) feel the excitement of our presentation here.
Brian, Kirstie, and Savannah
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.245.3641 | 608.243.0470
imaginemadisonwi.com | Facebook | Twitter
This is it… Our third, and final, round of Community Meetings are next week. We’ll be focusing on prioritization — the most important step for a community-wide initiative.
The Basics
- October 23 at the Village on Park Atrium (2300 S Park St)
- October 24 at Lussier Community Education Center (55 S Gammon Rd)
- October 25 at Goodman Community Center (149 Waubesa St)
All meetings are from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (open house from 6:00 – 6:30; group activities from 6:30 – 8:00). Refreshments and childcare will be provided. Spanish and Hmong interpreters will be at each meeting. Please see attached flyer.
The Activities
Join your fellow community members to participate in interactive activities focusing on the big question: What’s MOST important?
Strategies and Actions
Specifically, small groups will collaboratively determine which Strategies are the most important related to a particular topic, and suggest Actions that can be done to accomplish those important Strategies. There will be three rounds, so there’s plenty of time to discuss multiple topics!
Where should we prioritize growth?
Madison is a very popular place. We are expected to add 40,000 housing units between now and 2040. Meeting participants will discuss where these housing units should go through an interactive mapping activity. The activity includes reviewing multiple informative maps, and placing stickers on a base map showing where you believe growth should occur. This will also include a group discussion to share why you chose to put your dots where you did.
Episode #3 – Imagine Madison Mini-Documentary
Episode #3 of our interview mini-documentary has been posted. Check it out to see what your neighbors want for Madison’s future. If you missed Episode #2, you can view it here. Last, but certainly not least, the Imagine Madison Promotional Video won a 2017 Best of the Midwest Festival Award of Excellence at the Wisconsin Community Media Conference. Way to go, Madison City Channel!
Last call — Planning Pop-Ins
Do you want to have a lively discussion and activity at your organization’s next meeting? Invite us! We’ll tailor an interactive conversation based on what works best for your group. The best part — your conversation will help inform the future of Madison.
Brian, Kirstie, and Savannah
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.243.0455 | 608.243.0470
The sun is continuing to shine and community members throughout the Madison are continuing to collaboratively plan for the future of Madison through community gatherings, small group discussions, the Imagine Madison website, and more!
In Phase 2, we asked the community to weigh in on potential Strategies related to a wide-range of issues such as housing, transportation, and economic development. Additionally, we asked for suggested changes to the draft Future Land Use Map, which guides development in the city. We are excited to share the tremendous amount of thoughtful and creative ideas that community members have provided! You can view these ideas through the methods listed below:
These summaries provide highlights and trends of the 709 comments from the community regarding the draft Comprehensive Plan Strategies and Madison in general. These summaries also include entirely new ideas proposed by community members, not covered in the draft Strategies.
This document shows all comments received from community members regarding the draft Strategies and Madison in general.
Interactive Future Land Use Map with community comments
This map includes the 485 comments from community members regarding the draft Future Land Use Map. Most comments are ‘pinned’ to a specific location within the city.
Phase 3 of Imagine Madison will focus on prioritization. We’ll be asking for your input about which Strategies are the most important. We’ll also ask for your feedback as to where we should accommodate the additional 40,000 housing units that Madison is anticipated to add between now and 2040.
We hope you can join us at one of the meetings below:
- October 23 at Village on Park (2300 S Park St)
- October 24 at Lussier Community Education Center (55 S Gammon Rd)
- October 25 at Goodman Community Center (149 Waubesa Street)
All meetings are from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (open house from 6:00 – 6:30; presentation and group activities from 6:30 – 8:00). Refreshments and childcare will be provided. Spanish and Hmong interpreters will be at each meeting.
2017 Mayo's Neighborhood Roundtable
Register today for the 2017 Mayor's Neighborhood Roundtable which will be held Saturday, October 7 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. Onsite childcare and language assistance will be available (ASL, Hmong, Mandarin, and Spanish--other languages upon request). This one-half day event is free and brings together residents, nonprofits, and City staff and officials to work on neighborhood related issues.
Photo Contest Winners!
This summer, Imagine Madison hosted a photo contest asking community members to share their photos featuring people, places, and events in Madison using the hashtag #MyMadisonWI on social media or mailing them to the Imagine Madison team. The two winning Imagine Madison Photos of the summer were taken by Courtney Morrison and Emanuel Schwam.
Meet Savannah Ernzen
We'd like to introduce our new Planner working on Imagine Madison, Savannah Ernzen. Savannaha specializes in community engagement and has a passion for making equitable decisions through inclusive and interactive community discussions. Prior to joining the City of Madison, Savannah was a Planner for the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the City of Portland, Oregon. She earned her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University. Most importantly, she's excited to meet you and learn from you!
Brian, Kirstie, and Savannah
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.243.0470 | 608.245.3641
Summer is here and the Imagine Madison Comprehensive Plan update process keeps heating up. Lots of things are happening, we’ve got some new activities planned, and you can still provide your input about goal-achieving strategies and how Madison should grow.
Popular Ideas So Far
Our window to provide feedback for this phase of the process has been open from April 25 through today (June 21). Many great strategies have been provided and some big ideas have begun to emerge. Right now the most popular strategies are related to:
- affordable housing
- a living wage
- green infrastructure
- our urban tree canopy
- the regional bicycle system
- preserving views of the lakes, skyline, and Capitol
A full summary of the feedback as well as all of the comments we received on the draft Future Land Use Map will be available soon.
Summer Events
Summer is the best time of the year in Madison! The Imagine Madison team will be headed out to events, festivals, and farmers’ markets to talk with folks about Madison’s future. Check out our events page to see where you can find us this summer. Chances are you are already planning to be somewhere we’re going to be, so stop by our table to continue the discussion.
Meet Ana and Danya
With summer also comes summer interns. We’d like to introduce our two great AASPIRE interns, Ana Arellano Jimenez and Danya Littlefield. Ana is a senior Political Science and Economics major at UW-Madison. We believe Ana is actually the youngest person to ever intern with the City – she was born on a leap day, so she is technically four years old. Danya used to be in a Destiny’s Child cover band, but now mainly spends her time on her graduate studies in City Planning and Urban Design at MIT. We’re very glad to have them on the Imagine Madison team. Welcome, Ana and Danya!
Brian, Colin, and Kirstie
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.243.0455 | 608.243.0470
Spring is here and the clouds are on the way out so we can more clearly see the Madison of the future. Thanks so much to everyone who attended our Phase 2 Community Meetings to help us plan for and imagine Madison.
We want your feedback
If you couldn’t make it to one of our community meetings, you can still provide feedback through our new online interactive activities that just went live. You can vote for (thumbs up) and add your own ideas for strategies to achieve our shared community goals. You can also learn about the Future Land Use Map and make suggestions about how and where we grow and develop as a city. Click here to begin!
What are residents saying?
We’ve already received some feedback both in person and online for Phase 2 of Imagine Madison. Here’s a sample of what your neighbors are saying:
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“A larger focus on transportation solutions that build community, like biking and busses rather than single-person drivers."
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"We need to pay more attention to our urban infrastructure, specifically large trees that improve quality of life for all. They should be prioritized in streetscapes, building & street reconstruction.”
- “Promote Community Schools within walking distance in neighborhoods.”
Imagine Madison Planning Pop-Ins
Do you, your friends, neighbors, or coworkers want to have a more in-depth discussion about Imagine Madison and the future of our community? City Planning staff are available for a Planning Pop-In with your group. Let us know where and when you’d like to meet and if there are any specific topics concerning the City’s Comprehensive Plan Update you’d like to talk about. We’d love to meet with you!
Videos
Episode 2 of our interview mini-documentary has been posted. Check it out to see what your neighbors want for Madison’s future. If you missed the four community meetings, you can see the first one here. Last, but certainly not least, the Imagine Madison Promotional Video won a 2017 Best of the Midwest Festival Award of Excellence at the Wisconsin Community Media Conference. Way to go, Madison City Channel!
Brian, Colin, and Kirstie
City of Madison Comprehensive Plan Update
608.243.0455 | 608.243.0470
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