Downtown Madison residents may be out of the dark if a new initiative to provide grants to landlords for extra lighting around apartments and homes is passed.
The Downtown Residential Lighting Initiative is a pilot program that would allot $50,000 for grants downtown residents can apply for to fund the installation of lights in poorly lit areas, particularly alongside and behind buildings.
“I want the Isthmus to light up like Vegas,” said Ald. Eli Judge, District 8.
Judge, who sponsored the amendment, said the idea came after Zeta Beta Tau, a fraternity on Langdon Street, was broken into multiple times. When they decided to install lights on the side and back of their house, they no longer had break-ins.
The DRLI closely resembles the fa?ade improvement grant program that allots money to small businesses to restore the appearance of their building’s fa?ade.
The grant will be available to residents in most of the campus area, stretching from Patterson Street on the east side of the isthmus to the intersection of Randall Avenue and Regent Street.
Judge said the Madison Police Department and University of Wisconsin Police Department said the number one thing that can improve downtown safety would be an increase in the amount of lighting.
Many streets and sidewalks are well lit, Judge said, but the problem is that people hide and prey on people in poorly-lit areas.
“There’s not a magic bullet, but every little thing we do helps,” said Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9.
The DRLI amendment to the capital budget could see some debate before passing, due to the economy and the city’s already tight budget.
“We’re in a very tight fiscal crunch,” Skidmore said. “I think the mayor has done a really great job of putting together a budget that does everything we need to do.”
But Judge said he is hopeful the amendment will pass through the first time, seeing as it is a pilot program intended to grow in the future.
The proposed amount is not particularly large considering how the capital budget is set up.
“$50,000 on capital budget is not a lot of money,” Skidmore said. “That’s an investment in our future. If we have a safe downtown, we will have a safe community.”
Judge said small-scale improvement projects are critical to battling some of the issues plaguing downtown.
“This is a great example of [community policing through environmental design],” Judge said. “$50,000 may not seem like a lot, but that can buy a lot of lights.”
The grant is an option for property owners, not a mandate, according to Judge. It’s an option that eases responsibility of landlords to provide safe environments.
Skidmore said the amendment will likely face opposition the same way anything would.
“Somebody is always going to be unhappy that we didn’t spend more money on one thing or another,” Skidmore said.
