Help Plan the Future: City of Madison begins work on Southwest, Southeast Area Plans

City of Madison staff has begun work on the next two Area Plans, the Southwest Area Plan and the Southeast Area Plan, after receiving authorization from the Common Council in early October. Now they’re asking you to join them at a pair of kickoff events in the coming weeks to learn more about the process and ways to get involved early.

The Southwest and Southeast Area Plans will be the third and fourth of 12 area plans created under the updated Planning Framework passed by the Common Council in 2022. The order of the plans was determined by several factors, including the demographics of the people living in the planning areas and whether those areas had recent plans in place. Parts of the City that had outdated plans on the books or no plans at all were given priority under the updated Planning Framework.

Much of the Southeast Area has never had a dedicated plan in place, while parts of the Southwest Area had older plans (some dating back more than 30 years to 1990) that need updating to better align with community needs.

To help address those needs, City of Madison will hold plan in-person kickoff events on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 starting at 6:30pm at Toki Middle School for the Southwest Area Plan and Wednesday, December 4 starting at 6pm at La Follette High School for the Southeast Area Plan. Both events will be an open house format, allowing for informal conversations between community members and City staff.

Additionally, virtual events will be held from Noon – 1:00pm and 6:00pm – 7:00pm on Tuesday, December 3 for the Southwest Area Plan and from Noon – 1:00pm on Thursday, December 5 for the Southeast Area Plan for those unable to attend the in-person kickoff events.

“Each area plan is a guide for the future of our neighborhoods, so it’s critical that residents get involved in the planning process,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “This event is your first opportunity to share your hopes, dreams and concerns with the City, so we can include them in the planning process and address them in the final plan.”

Representatives from several City of Madison departments will be on hand at these events to answer questions from community members about the process and timeline for the area plans, and to collect early input from residents on what they would like to see considered in the plans.

“These kickoff events will also provide an opportunity for residents living in these areas to meet and learn more about the work of other City agencies — including engineering, parks, and Metro Transit. Resident’s feedback in these Plans help guide not only the work of the Planning Division, but also the work of many City Agencies,” City of Madison Planning Director Meagan Tuttle said.

Similar to the West and Northeast Area Plans, the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans will ultimately include recommendations for each of the issues covered by the City’s Comprehensive Plan: Land Use and Transportation, Neighborhoods and Housing, Economy and Opportunity, Culture and Character, Green and Resilient, Effective Government, Health and Safety. A Community Action Strategy will be developed for areas with a higher proportion of residents living with lower incomes.

The West Area Plan and Northeast Area Plan were passed with broad support from the Common Council earlier this year after minor changes made by various City of Madison Boards, Commissions, and Committees during the final approval process. The final versions of both the West Area Plan and the Northeast Area Plan have now been posted.

Public Outreach Timeline

Planning teams have already begun gathering background information and data about the Southwest and Southeast planning areas and have started meeting with community stakeholders, neighborhood associations, and others about the needs of the community.

After the kickoff events, there will be many opportunities to share your thoughts with City staff over the next year: a resident survey will be sent out to a random sample of the people living in the planning areas in January 2025, a second round of public meetings to summarize feedback received from the community will be held in February 2025, and City staff will visit businesses in the spring. Initial draft recommendations will be presented at a third set of public meetings in the summer of 2025.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to give feedback along the way, which may lead to further edits to the draft plans. Final drafts of the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans are expected to be up for review and approval by City Boards, Commissions and Committees and the Common Council by the first quarter of 2026.

Throughout this process, City staff will share updates on what they’re hearing from residents during engagement events, and develop informational pieces to help describe some of the more technical topics that will come up during the planning process. These materials, along with informational slides and recorded meetings, will be posted on the project web pages.

More details about future public engagement events will be announced at a later date. In the meantime, those interested in updates on the area plans can subscribe to receive e-mail newsletter updates on the City of Madison web pages for the Southwest Area Plan and Southeast Area Plan.