Smart Growth Greater Madison - new

05/29/2026

Photos from Smart Growth's May happy hour at Ideal Builders. Thank you, Tim Cleary and Beth Vander Meulen, for hosting!

05/21/2026

On May 1, Smart Growth presented a seminar for local government elected and appointed officials and staff about the real estate development process and finance. Thank you to the elected and appointed officials and staff from the following communities who attended our seminar: Fitchburg, Madison, McFarland, Middleton, and Waunakee. And thank you to our knowledgeable presenters. Finally, thank you to our program sponsor, True North Consultants.

04/28/2026

Thank you, President Cindy Kelm-Nelson and Planning and Development Director Erin Ruth of the Village of Cottage Grove for speaking with Smart Growth's members about development opportunities in your community! And thank you, One Community Bank, for sponsoring this event!

04/17/2026

FITCHBURG, WI — The Fitchburg Common Council has adopted a new Housing Plan to guide how the City addresses current and future housing needs while supporting balanced, sustainable growth.

04/14/2026

I was pleasantly surprised that on Monday, April 13, the Madison Plan Commission approved demolition permits for two buildings on W Gilman St, including the brutalist-style Master Hall Apartments. The Plan Commission approved the demolition permits because both buildings are too far gone and in the near future likely would require enough modifications just to keep them operating to trigger full code compliance, which would be fatal to the buildings. The Plan Commission was divided the first time they considered these two demolition permit applications. This time around, the approvals of both demolition permits were unanimous.

The commission failed Monday to either approve or deny the demolition as members weighed the building’s historic significance against the need for more housing Downtown.

04/10/2026

I will be interested to see how many developers and local governments make use of this new kind of tax increment district to create more home ownership opportunities.

On Wednesday April 8, Governor Tony Evers signed into legislation SB 480 that creates residential tax incremental districts. I had the honor to witness the signing. This bill will allow municipalities to have another financial tool to build more workforce homes in Fitchburg.

04/10/2026

We had a great afternoon for Smart Growth's happy hour at Vitense Golfland. Thank you, Kelly Kloepping and JSD Professional Services and Chris Valcheff and True North Consulting for sponsoring this event.

04/02/2026

Rezoning to conventional zoning will make life easier for homeowners in these neighborhoods and free up city staff time for more important work.

Adding a new deck or egress window would be simpler on 4,000 properties under a rezoning proposal that could streamline permits and reduce city workloads.

03/07/2026

Should a building constructed in 1965 be preserved because it is "historic"? I am now old enough that a building constructed during my lifetime might receive such protection.

Georgia-based Landmark Properties wants to raze the 1960s apartment building for a 16-story student housing development. The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation wants the building protected.

02/27/2026

Thank you, CARW, for inviting me to share what is happening with development in the Madison area at your roundtable forum in Milwaukee.