Madison will launch a new planning effort coined “Mifflandia,” in an effort to maintain the nostalgic appeal of the Mifflin area while also bringing the neighborhood up to par with the rest of the community, as reported by the The Capital Times.
The West Washington-West Mifflin Area Plan will analyze opportunities within a small area centered upon the 400-500 blocks of West Mifflin Street and West Washington Avenue, according to a City of Madison press release.
The Downtown Plan, a broader plan adopted by the Madison Common Council in July 2012, offered a more focused set of general parameters for the vision of the entire downtown area. However, the “Mifflandia” planning process will be even more detailed, the press release said.
The plan will address land use, preservation, redevelopment opportunities, building and streetscape design, open space, activity nodes and connectivity to the abutting neighborhoods.
The Mifflin area has strong attachments to the University of Wisconsin’s student population, rooted in the area’s historic ties to the 1960s counterculture, the annual block party and its role in providing affordable housing for students, as reported in the The Capital Times.
Warm weather bring 15,000 partiers out for Mifflin Street Block Party
In the Downtown Plan, however, city planners observed the region hasn’t changed much while UW and downtown Madison have continued to grow and evolve around it.
According to the plan, the area is in need of significant cosmetic improvements as well as general upgrading and modernization. The plan recommended Madison recreate the Mifflin district as an “urban mixed-use neighborhood” serving both UW and the downtown community while providing new employment and residential options.
The Downtown Plan also said the prime location between campus, the downtown employment core and State Street, “creates the opportunity to consider alternative futures for the Mifflin district that could greatly expand its role and dramatically change its physical character.”
The planning process will be similar to that of the Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted in August 2018 after more than 18 months of planning through “Imagine Madison,” a campaign that encouraged the public to engage in city planning through online comments, emails, public hearings and phone calls. Over 15,000 Madison community members gave their input to develop the final draft of the plan.
Mifflin Neighborhood Chair Tim Kamps said the process to create this formal plan will take about six to nine months to complete, and will go well into 2019.
“This plan is going to represent everybody,” Kamps said. “Not just those of us in the neighborhood that are active in this, but the community is really looking to engage students, neighbors, property owners, the development community and just kind of everybody.”
The first public meeting and kickoff will be Monday, Oct. 29 at the Senior Center on 330 West Mifflin.
