For those of you interested in the Apex project on Merry Street, this may be of interest. It’s at the UDC this evening.
May 3, 2010
Mr. Steve Yoder
Apex Enterprises, Inc.
1741 Commercial Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53704Dear Steve,
Brad Murphy asked me to send you a letter clarifying some information that was included in your March 18, 2010 letter to Scott Thornton regarding the land use recommendations for the Merry Street area in adopted City plans.
It is true that a map on page 32 of the 1994 Marquette-Schenk-Atwood Neighborhood Plan shows the Merry Street area east of the Yahara River and north of Winnebago Street as designated for Medium-High Density Residential uses. However, this is a background information map from the 1988 Madison Land Use Plan (first adopted in 1977), and it wouldn’t be accurate to consider this a recommendation of the neighborhood plan. As far as I can tell, the neighborhood plan doesn’t make a specific land use recommendation for the Merry Street area. But implementation activities initiated as part of this planning process included a review of the existing land uses and zoning in several neighborhood residential areas which resulted in rezoning several areas in 1995 to better protect and enhance the established uses—including the Merry Street area.
The 2006 City of Madison Comprehensive Plan includes the Merry Street area within a large area east of the river recommended for Low Density Residential uses, not Medium-Density uses as suggested by your letter. This LDR district extends from south of the lumber yard on East Washington Avenue to Lake Monona, and primarily reflects the R3 District zoning now applied to most of this area (except for the Apex properties, which as you note, are zoned R5).
I hope this helps to clarify the planning context. If you have any questions about this information, please give me a call.
Sincerely,
Michael Waidelich
Principal Plannerc. Scott Thornton, MNA President
Ald. Marsha Rummel, District 6
