What is the Design Challenge?

The design challenge was a City‐led initiative to develop a master plan for a signature waterfront park along the shore of Lake Monona. It was a competition to create a visionary, inclusive, and environmentally focused master plan for Madison's foremost public lakefront. The intent of the challenge was to attract regional and national waterfront planning expertise to Madison and develop a new vision for Madison’s connection to Lake Monona.

What is a Master Plan?

A master plan is a long‐term planning document that informs the direction of future capital improvement projects. Master plans are conceptual diagrams (not construction plans) that are implemented in phases, with each phase involving further design development and public engagement before construction. With the scope of the Lake Monona Waterfront planning area and the scale of the potential improvements, implementation will likely be measured in decades for the planning initiative.

What is the difference between a Master Plan and an Implementation Plan?

A park master plan is a conceptual design that shows a plan of possible uses by park goers. An implementation plan is a more detailed design that shows a plan of actual feasible uses along with detailed drawings and costs.

Why did the City hold a competition for the Master Plan?

The unique opportunities and challenges of the project area required an approach beyond the standard master planning process. On February 1, 2022, the City of Madison the Common Council authorized the Parks Division to hold a design competition for master plan development for the Lake Monona Waterfront. The intent of the design challenge was to attract regional and national planning expertise to the planning area. The challenge is a two‐year process, with design team selections and master plan options completed in 2022, and refinement of a preferred master plan and submission to the Common Council in 2023.

Who selected the design teams?

The City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for interested design teams in early 2022 and received fourteen submissions. An Ad‐hoc Committee created by the City of Madison scored team qualifications submissions and selected three teams to participate in the design challenge. Committee’s selection criteria included the following:

• Qualifications and capacity to prepare a master plan for a signature park

• Previous related experience

• Technical competency and experience

• Experience and implementation of equitable and inclusive design

• Understanding of local planning and development practices

What is the role of the Lake Monona Waterfront Ad‐hoc Committee?

The Ad‐hoc Committee is the decision‐making body for the design challenge. The committee is comprised of thirteen members appointed through the City committee process, and its tasks include:

• Selecting the participating design teams.

• Identifying a preferred master plan option to move forward in the process.

• Providing recommendations for plan revisions/refinement before Common
  Council introduction.

How was the Ad-hoc committee formed?

The Parks Division held an open request for committee applicants in early February 2022. The City received over 40 applications for the thirteen positions. The Mayor's Office reviewed the applicants and recommended appointments to the Common Council for confirmation. The confirmed appointments focused on ensuring broad community representation with diverse perspectives to guide the plan development process.

Who is on the Ad-hoc committee?

The Committee is comprised of representatives for the following boards, commissions and communities:
(7) Community representatives
(1) Member of the Board of Park Commissioners
(1) Professional Civil/Structural Engineer
(1) Member of the Madison Parks Foundation Board
(1) Member of the Monona Terrace Board
(1) Member of the Friends of Nolen Waterfront
(1) Member of the Board of Public Works

Committee contact information is available on the City Legistar site.

Who paid for the design challenge?

The City of Madison and Friends of Nolen Waterfront co‐sponsored the design challenge. The Friends of Nolen Waterfront are a non‐profit organization dedicated to developing a signature waterfront park along Lake Monona. Each design team received a stipend of $75,000 for participating in the design challenge and their master plan submission.

Why didn’t teams hold public meetings during the fourteen week design challenge?

The City conducted pre‐planning community outreach in 2019 and 2020. Public input was gathered through various methods, including large community workshops, stakeholder listening sessions, online surveys, on‐site interviews, and community events. The collected information was provided in the Lake Monona Waterfront ‐ Preliminary Report and informed the guiding principles for master plan development. Teams were directed to work from the predesign engagement to ensure they utilized the work completed by the City. Teams also had the option to conduct their own outreach during the fourteen‐week plan development phase. There were also community input opportunities at the kick‐off and midpoint check‐in events during the development phase. Additional community engagement will occur during the refinement of the selected plan before introduction to the Common Council.

How was the Sasaki group chosen, what was the process?

The Ad-hoc Committee appointed by the mayor scored the three Design Challenge teams based on their design submissions, their public presentation at the Madison Public Library along with 2,472 survey responses and 8,000 hand written remarks from interested citizens.

Why wasn’t all of Olin Park included in the planning scope?

Including all of Olin Park in the planning scope adds approximately 37 acres of parkland to the project. Given the timing of the John Nolen Drive reconstruction and the goal to have a Council‐adopted master plan by 2024, City of Madison Parks determined that increasing the planning acreage by this magnitude wasn't feasible.

Why is this happening now?

The vision for a signature park along the shore of Lake Monona has been in the works for a long time (history). The most recent iteration developed by the Madison Design Professionals sparked interest in the project. The City of Madison commissioned a preliminary report as the first phase of the planning initiative. Spurring the timeframe, In 2019, City Engineering determined John Nolen Drive requires reconstruction from North Shore Drive to Olin Avenue. The anticipated construction timeframe for the roadway project is 2026 to 2027. The master plan initiative is an opportunity for Madison to develop a holistic vision for the Lake Monona shore and ensure the reconstruction of John Nolen Drive doesn’t prohibit future waterfront goals. Creating a master plan for the area adjacent to John Nolen Drive provides a cohesive land and transportation planning approach for this valued public lakeshore.

When will the master plan be approved?

The ad hoc committee approved the draft master plan and has now officially completed its work. The draft master plan is now with the City of Madison Common Council for review and adoption:

• Plan introduction to the Madison Common Council on January 23, 2024

• Referral to City committees for their comments (including Urban Design
  Commission, Plan Commission, Transportation Commission, Board of Park
  Commissioners, and Board of Public Works)

• Common Council review and consideration for adoption

The master plan review and adoption process is anticipated to be completed in Spring 2024.

When will construction start and who is paying for it?

The master plan is an overall concept to guide future improvements to the lakeshore ‐ there isn't immediate funding for construction. Implementing the plan's recommendations will likely be phased over decades as construction projects are brought forward when funding resources become available. The scale and scope of the potential improvements will require the City to pursue Federal, State, and local private funding support.

As an initial pilot project, the Parks Division's current Capital Improvement Plan includes a $2.5M request for causeway improvements in 2026. The request aligns with the John Nolen Drive reconstruction project managed by City Engineering.

Will the project scope be integrated with proposed changes to the Monona Terrace and when is that expansion scheduled?

Although two master plan submissions propose changes to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, the facility is not within the planning scope. Consideration of any proposed improvements to the facility are the purview of the Common Council upon recommendation of the Monona Terrace Board. There are no immediate plans for expanding the Terrace or implementing design team recommendations.

Why is the Lake Monona Waterfront master plan process separate from the John Nolen Drive reconstruction?

The projects involve differing scales of planning. The master plan initiative will create a conceptual plan to guide future waterfront development in the coming decades. The focus of the John Nolen Drive project is the reconstruction of the roadway and bridges in 2026. The two efforts are coordinated and continue to inform each other, but with two distinct outcomes: one is conceptual, and the other is construction‐ready.

How are people of color being given a voice in the process?

The Parks Division is working with a consultant team focused on engaging with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color representatives in Madison. Their outreach work will continue through the public review and comment phase. The selection process for the Ad‐hoc Committee focused on ensuring a wide variety of voices were involved in the project. The confirmed appointments bring broad community representation with diverse perspectives to the plan development process.  The Friends of the Nolen Waterfront have participated  in the annual Unity Picnic in South Madison and will continue future outreach to Madison’s minority communities.

Can the City fill the lake to make more parkland?

Lake Monona is a public waterway subject to State regulations and Public Trust Doctrine statutes. In 2016, with the FEMA map update, all of Lake Monona was zoned as flood storage. With this designation, any amount of lakebed filled requires a corresponding amount of removal (no net decrease in capacity). Any proposed lakebed fill will need to meet significant regulatory requirements.

Will the project be phased? 

The project will be phased.  The phasing plan is being developed by Sasaki as a part of their final master plan.

What is the overall cost of the project?

General cost estimates are being prepared by Sasaki as a part of their final master plan.

How will the project be funded?

The project will be funded from a combination of private philanthropic gifts and government sources including TIF funding.

What is a TIF?

TIF stands for tax increment financing. A TIF is a proven and frequently used city and county financing tool that captures the future value of appreciating property to pay for the current development costs of a significant civic initiative, like the waterfront project that benefits the community broadly. The TIF will set aside new taxes from both new and current businesses and residents in a designated district. This TIF district comprises the area adjacent to and surrounding the new park whose residents would benefit most from park and PAC development. A TIF for the park will not increase anyone’s taxes in the TIF district, city or county; rather, it is designed to collect the normal appreciation, if any, in commercial and residential real estate taxes within the TIF district and sets this incremental difference aside to be invested, distributed, or used to underwrite other financing, like a city bond, for the park.

How will the project/park be coordinated and managed?

The governance structure for the development and management of the park is being developed and anticipated that it will be through a partnership between the Friends of Nolen Waterfront, a not for profit organization and the City of Madison.

How much of the $15M federal grant the city was awarded for the John Nolen Drive be used for the Phase One?

The additional federal grant money is allocated transportation funding and will be dedicated to the development of the causeway roadway and bridgework.  The causeway project will be extended from the original endpoint at Northshore Drive to Broom Street.

How will the double lanes on the causeway be moved to allow more pedestrian access and recreation as shown in Sasaki’s proposal?

The City of Madison Parks Division along with Sasaki has worked closely with City of Madison Engineering to design the roadway so that it is located as closely to the bay side of the causeway as possible while maintaining two lanes each way.

How will the condo owners on East Wilson be impacted, i.e. views?

The master plan will enhance the property values of the condominiums on both East and West Wilson Street, as well as the other condo buildings in the vicinity.  Condo owners will have direct access to the lake with amenities such as a cafe and amphitheater.  Sasaki has been working with the City Parks and the Ad-hoc committee to ensure that property owners’ concerns are addressed.

Will bicycles have safer access to the lake path?

The master plan is addressing safe access for pedestrians and bicyclists to the park via several means at numerous points.  Access may include a combination of bridge and underpass structures.

How can I support the project?

You can contact a Friends of the Nolen Waterfront Board Member or feel free to give directly here.