With its reputation preceding itself as a difficult place for development projects to become fully realized, the City of Madison took steps recently to restore confidence in the development community.
Led by Mayor Paul Soglin, Madison’s Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development announced several strategies aimed to make its development review process run smoother.
“If the development community feels that because of these changes there’s more predictability, consistency, reliability and a quicker process at the end of the day, then it might cause them to look more openly on the notion of building something in our fair city,” city planner Tim Parks said.
According to Parks, the city plans to implement a design team of architects, landscape architects and city planners in August to intervene in proposed projects before they are formally entered into the process to provide feedback to the developer as early as possible.
Other components include an effort to integrating the Urban Design Commission and Planning Commission so developers have fewer applications to fill out and meetings to attend. Also, more staff reports and written guides to working with the commissions will be presented, Parks said.
Delora Newton, executive vice president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, applauded Soglin’s efforts.
“Mayor Soglin has seen the need to further streamline the development review process,” Newton wrote in an email to The Badger Herald. “We support his recommendations.”
According to Newton, these changes may be long overdue as the Madison’s Economic Development Committee reviewed the development process in 2004 and issued a report making several recommendations for change.
Newton said many of those suggestions were adopted and the review process improved. However, the need for additional changes remained.
“The changes will make the development review process more predictable and should help the project move through the process more quickly. [This] saves time and money for everyone – the developer, the city and the neighborhood representatives,” Newton said.
She added the recommendations will empower the professional staff of the City of Madison’s Planning Department because they will be able to make initial recommendations or suggest modifications for projects to comply with zoning and other aspects before projects have gone underway.
Newton also said although the review process will be more predictable, it does not mean all projects will be approved. Projects must still conform to the zoning code and be approved by the Plan Commission and City Council, she said.
According to Newton, projects will also require review by the Urban Design Commission and the Landmarks Commission when applicable, and neighbors will still have the opportunity to attend public hearings and voice their opinions of the project, she added.
In the related area of construction projects on the University of Wisconsin campus, construction began in June on phase one of the Memorial Union Reinvestment Project. The construction for phase one is expected to continue through June of 2014.
According to a UW statement, the construction will focus on the west wing of Memorial Union, with affected areas to look for this fall including Lot 1 and the southwest corner of the building at the intersection of Langdon Street and Park Street.
