Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Plans
Planning Division employees are working remotely part-time. For this reason, please call 608-266-4635 for general Planning assistance, or to find the best contact for making an appointment for an in-person meeting.
Please view all impacts to City services on the City’s COVID-19 website.
The City of Madison's adopted plans can be found using the interactive map or links below.
-
Citywide Plans: policy documents with generalized recommendations
-
Neighborhood Plans: focus on established residential areas
-
Special Area Plans: specific sites or areas likely to change
-
Neighborhood Development Plans: guide new peripheral growth
-
Studies and Reports: inform future plans and policies
Citywide Plans
Comprehensive Plan (2018)
The Comprehensive Plan establishes the long-term growth framework for the City, with broad policy recommendations and urban development strategies.
- Part 1 - Introduction, Growth Framework, Land Use & Transportation
- Part 2 - Neighborhoods & Housing, Economy & Opportunity, Culture & Character, Green & Resilient, and Effective Government
- Part 3 - Appendices
- Interactive Future Land Use map
- Printable Future Land Use Map
- imaginemadison.com - Information about the planning and public engagement process
Transportation
Transportation plans, including Madison in Motion and the Bus Rapid Transit study, can be found at the Department of Transportation
Historic Preservation Plan (2020)
The Madison Historic Preservation Plan is developed to celebrate and preserve the places that represent Madison’s collective histories. It provides guidance for development proposals, capital improvements, and implementation to ensure preservation is integrated into both long-range planning and current development projects. The plan recommends strategies and tools to 1) more effectively lead and integrate historic preservation into public policy, 2) utilize existing land use, zoning, and development standards to support preservation, 3) explore educational and promotion partnerships, 4) capitalize on economic development and financial incentives, 5) highlight sustainable building practices, and 6) encourage heritage tourism.
Neighborhood Plans
Neighborhood plans serve as a guide for actions and changes that will strengthen Madison's established neighborhoods and how best to accommodate anticipated growth. Plan topics include land use, zoning, mobility, housing, community services, economic development, historic preservation, urban design, open space, health, safety, and infrastructure.
- Allied-Dunn's Marsh (1990)
- Allied-Dunn's Marsh-Belmar (2005)
- Arbor Hills-Leopold (2013)
- Bay Creek (1991)
- Brentwood Village-Packers-Sherman Village (1996)
- Brittingham-Vilas (1989)
- Broadway-Simpson (1986)
- Carpenter-Ridgeway (2001)
- Darbo Worthington Starkweather (2017)
- Emerson-East-Eken Park-Yahara (2016)
- Greenbush (2008)
- Greenbush-Vilas Neighborhood (2010)
- Hiestand (2006)
- Hoyt Park Area (2014)
- Marquette-Schenk-Atwood (1994)
- Midvale Heights-Westmorland (2009)
- Mifflandia (2019) (CITYZINE - Social Practice Art Engagement)
- Northport-Warner Park-Sherman (2009)
- Regent Street-South Campus (2008)
- Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Worthington (2000)
- South Madison (2005) South Madison (2022)
- Southwest (2008)
- Spring Harbor (2006)
- Tenny-Lapham (2008)
- Triangle Monona Bay (2019)
- University Hill Farms (2016)
Special Area Plans
Special area plans focus on specific areas likely to see growth or change in the near future or have a unique functional use like downtown, a transit station area, the airport, and other employment or activity centers.
- Bassett Neighborhood Master Plan (1997)
- Central Park (2011)
- Cottage Grove Road (2017)
- Downtown Plan (2012)
- East Rail Corridor (2004)
- East Washington Avenue Capitol Gateway Corridor (2008)
- East Washington Gateway Revitalization - BUILD (2003)
- East Washington Old East Side Master Plan - BUILD (2000)
- First Settlement Neighborhood Master Plan (1995)
- Greater East Towne Area Plan (2022)
- Marquette Neighborhood Center (2000)
- Milwaukee Street (2018)
- Monroe Street Commercial District (2007)
- Odana Area Plan (2021)
- Oscar Mayer (2020)
- Park Street Urban Design Guidelines (2004)
- Ridgewood East Central Development (2002)
- Royster Clark (2009)
- Schenk-Atwood Neighborhood Business District Master Plan (2001)
- Stoughton Road Revitalization Project
- University Avenue Corridor (2014)
- Williamson Street Design Guidelines (2004)
- Wingra Creek BUILD (2006)
- University of Wisconsin Campus Master Plan*
- Edgewood Campus Master Plan*
* Campus plans are not created by the City of Madison and are provided for reference. The City approves these as part of the Campus Institutional (CI) zoning districts applicable to campus areas.
Neighborhood Development Plans
Neighborhood development plans provide a framework for the growth and development of the City's peripheral urban expansion areas where development is expected to occur in the foreseeable future.
- Blackhawk (2006)
- Cherokee (2007)
- Cottage Grove (2006)
- Cross Country (1998)
- East Towne-Burke Height (1987)
- Elderberry (2018)
- Felland (2002)
- Hanson Road (2021)
- High Point - Raymond (2017)
- Junction (2018)
- Marsh Road (1999)
- Midtown (2011)
- Nelson (2019)
- Northeast Neighborhood (2009)
- Pioneer (2018)
- Pumpkin Hollow (2008)
- Rattman (2019)
- Sprecher (2012)
- Yahara Hills (2022)
Intergovernmental Agreements
Peripheral growth is often occurs in the context of an intergovernmental agreement with neighboring communities. Adopted intergovernmental agreements can be found below. Click here to view the interactive Intergovernmental Agreements map.
- Town of Burke, Village of DeForest, City of Sun Prairie and City of Madison Cooperative Plan
- Town of Blooming Grove and City of Madison Cooperative Plan
- City of Madison and Town of Middleton Cooperative Plan
- City of Madison and Ho Chunk Nation
- City of Madison and Village of McFarland (expired)
- City of Madison and City of Middleton
- City of Madison, City of Fitchburg and Town of Madison Cooperative Plan
click on the image above for a full size version of the Intergovernmental Boundary Agreements map
Studies and Reports
- Equitable Development (2019)
- Downtown Retail Assessment (2016)
- Langdon Neighborhood Character Study (2018)
- Lamp House Block (2014)
- Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment
- Planning Division 2018 Annual Report
- Planning Division 2019 Annual Report
- Planning Division 2020 Annual Report
- Planning Division 2021 Annual Report
- Underrepresented Communities Survey (2020)
- Comprehensive Plan Progress Update 2020
- Comprehensive Plan Progress Update 2021
Last Updated: 05/12/2022