A series of six public meetings will be held on Tuesday, June 24, Wednesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 26 to discuss "What are the Possibilities" for the future of Downtown. These meetings comprise the second round of public meetings designed to receive input on the development of Madison's new Downtown Plan. All meetings will be held in the Overture Center's Wisconsin Studio. The schedule of meetings is outlined below:

Tuesday, June 24:
Visitors & Tourists 5:00-6:45 PM
Recreation, Culture & Entertainment 7:00-8:45 PM

Wednesday, June 25:
Moving Around 5:00-6:45 PM
Downtown Working & Business 7:00-8:45 PM

Thursday, June 26:
Downtown Living 5:00-6:45 PM
Sense of Place(s) 7:00-8:45 PM

The purpose of these meetings is to have participants think creatively about the future of Downtown and share their "big ideas" about the above listed topics. Residents, business owners and operators, Downtown organizations, and other interested parties are encouraged to attend any or all of the sessions. These meetings will build on the April 9 Kickoff meeting which marked the beginning of a yearlong planning effort.

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said, "We are entering a critical phase of the downtown planning process. This is the time when all community members are encouraged to come forward and share their ideas for the heart of the city and to help set the direction for this important planning effort."

Downtown 2000, which was adopted in 1989, was the last plan that considered Madison's downtown in a comprehensive way. As the downtown continues to evolve it is important to have a plan in place that will guide individual actions of the City and others so that they work together towards a common desired future.

The City's Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2006. As part of that effort, the City commissioned a study called the Downtown Advisory Report to consider some of the broad issues and trends. Preliminary recommendations from the Downtown Advisory Report were used to help develop the Comprehensive Plan's recommendations for the Downtown/Campus area. The general approach is to build on the background, vision, objectives, policies, and recommendations contained in these documents. Together, they represent the starting point for the Downtown Plan.

As defined in the Comprehensive Plan, "Downtown" refers to the intensively developed urban core of the city, where the highest density employment, residential and other uses are located. The boundary is not precise, but a working definition of this downtown core will be the area generally bounded by Park, Regent, Proudfit, and Blair Streets. The Downtown Plan will also consider adjacent areas of influence-- those areas that functionally and/or aesthetically are inextricably connected to the downtown core (such as the UW campus)-- and develop a unifying vision of how all of these areas relate, but will focus on the downtown core.

Additional information can also be found on the project's website: www.cityofmadison.com/downtownplan

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