Deadline Extened for Comments on Hoyt Park Area Plan

The recent public meeting for the Hoyt Park Area Planning Committee was well attended with more than 130 residents in attendance.  The purpose of the meeting was to review the draft plan for the neighborhood.  Requests to extend the comment period have been reviewed and the comment period has been extended until June 22nd (formerly June 13th). 

You can review background information, draft neighborhood plan, and comment forms at:

www.cityofmadison.com/planning/HoytParkPlan/ .  Copies of the Draft Plan/comment forms are also at Sequoya Branch Library.

You can also send comments directly to Brian Munson, Vandewalle & Associates at bmunson@vandewalle.com or Jule Stroick, City of Madison Planning Division, at jstroick@cityofmadison.com.

Additionally, residents requested a shortened version of the plan document.  Work has begun on that shortened version that will summarize major themes and plan recommendations. 

Watch for more information on upcoming meetings.

Jazz in the Park

Madison is home to some of the most wonderful summer festivals.  One such event is Jazz in the Park scheduled for this Saturday June 16th at Wingra Park. 

Join the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association for the 21st Annual Jazz in the Park.  Start the day with a 5K walk/run beginning at 9:00 a.m.  Family fun activities such as logrolling and dragon boats begin at 2:00 p.m.  Music from great local bands like Tony Castaneda and MadiSalsa start at 3:00 p.m.

So pack a picnic, spread out a blanket and plan to spend the day listening to some great Jazz and enjoying one of the many wonderful Madison parks.  Oh, and Wingra Boats will be open, too!  Listening from the lake might be a great way to take in the music!

Hope to see you there!

Summer Housing Market Remains Strong

For  more than 4 decades, our real estate market has seen two very distinctive spikes in closing activity. The first spike happens the last Friday in May, the second occurs the last Friday in August. Of course, this is due to families with children wanting to move near the end of the school year so their children can meet new friends over the summer. For those who miss that last Friday in May, the last Friday in August is their chance to get moved and have the children start and stay in the same school for the entire year.

While this double spike has historically been the case for nearly 40 years (the exception being 1982 when home mortgage rates were hovering around 17% and nobody was going anywhere), 2012 is showing a slightly different trend. This year we are continuing to see activity build beyond the May spike, including the number of pending sales (homes with accepted offers and contingencies removed). We are seeing sales outpace inventory which means the market is coming more into balance. There are lessons to be learned from these numbers for sellers and buyers alike.

For Sellers: The buyers are out there now, and with sales outpacing the supply of inventory, home prices will soon begin to stabilize, if not increase. Putting your home on the market now is likely the best opportunity for sale that has existed in the last 5 years. In a few cases, houses have been on the market for just a few days before they receive an accepted offer.

For Buyers: With interest rates remaining in the 4% range, your house payment is approximately one half of the amount it would be if you were purchasing in a more typical market where interest rates average 7%-9%. The lesson for buyers is simple: don’t lose sleep over whether you can get the seller to accept one more counter-offer for a couple thousand dollars less in sales price when you could be saving five thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars or even more interest dollars each and every year you own your home by locking in a loan and making a purchase now.

"Staycation"

Road Trip!  That's what my college friends and I would yell as we planned and departed on a trip, long or short, outside of Madison. Today, the more savvy term is "Staycation".  Regardless of what you call it, the meaning is the same; "stay" at home and explore the not-so-far areas around where you live. 


Living in Madison, we have the unique and good fortune to be outside the city limits in 20 minutes or less.  Sure, there are incredible opportunities within the city limits (more on that in a later post), but there are also fabulous places to explore a short distance from the city limits.  So, if you are looking for a staycation for a week, a weekend or even just a day trip, here are some of my top picks.


Indian Lake County Park: When my children were small, my dear friend would take her kids and mine to Indian Lake.  What a respite for me, and the kids had a blast!  And the dog was welcome too, score! 


Devils Lake Sate Park: One of my favorite places in the state.  This was a road trip favorite in college and continues to be a favorite for our family.  Founded in 1911, Devil's Lake is the third oldest state park in Wisconsin, the largest, and the most visited.

Parfrey's Glen: My parents took my kids to Parfrey's Glen when they were small.  I'm not sure who had more fun, my parents or the kids!  It's one of Wisconsin's first State Natural Areas.


Cave of the Mounds: It's the same temperature year-round...incredible!  Still privately owned, visitors have flocked here for more than 70 years.  This is one of the best one day trips in the Midwest! 


Mineral Point, WI: Looking for some history, unique art and architecture, then check our Mineral Point, WI.  WisconsinTrails magazine just named Mineral Point the best historic town in the state.


Of course, there are lots of places to choose from, these are just a few.  Wherever your "Staycation" takes you, I hope you enjoy the trip!

HPAJP Public Meeting

The Hoyt Park Area Joint Planning Committee has been hard at work developing a neighborhood plan to make the Hoyt Park Area an even better place to live.  The planning committee has studied a wide variety of topics including pedestrian and bike traffic, auto traffic flow, residential design characteristics and park and open space improvements, as well as several other neighborhood issues.

A draft plan of the Hoyt Park Area Joint Plan is now ready for public review.  A public hearing on the draft plan is scheduled for Wednesday May 30 at the First Baptist Church 518 N. Franklin St. at 6:30 p.m.  

The public meeting will include an overview, plan presentation, community input and next steps.  A draft copy of the neighborhood plan is now available for review on the project website at

www.cityofmadison.com/planning/HoytParkPlan/ or a review copy is available at the Sequoya Branch Library, 4340 Tokay Blvd, reference desk. All comments on the draft plan are public record.

Plan to attend the meeting to see what the planning committee has been up to.

Fun on the Water

The temperature is creeping up which means it's time to head to the water!  Madison's west side is blessed with Lake Wingra, a small, no-wake lake tucked along the edge of the UW Arboretum.   One of the best places to enjoy Lake Wingra is at Wingra Park just off of Monroe Street.

Perched at the end of the park on the shores of the lake is Wingra Boats, a small boat marina that rents kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, pontoon boats and more.  In addition, there are lots of educational activities planned for the summer months such as yoga on stand up paddle boards, birding excursions and Full Moon Paddle trips.

Looking for some fun water activities?  Wingra Boats is the place to be!  And it's open for the season!  The Wingra location is now open weekends from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.  After Memorial Day, they will be open 7 days a week.  Check it out, you'll be glad you did!

Spring Spruce Up

I have some friends who are selling their house…YEAH!  It’s a great house (check it out here).  As all home sellers do, they have been sprucing up their house, inside and out, to put their best foot forward.  With that sprucing, comes yard work and cutting back the bramble of overgrown winter vegetation.  As luck would have it, the City of Madison will begin brush collection this month.  Score!  Is your yard and garden waiting for that spring haircut and restyle?  Now is the time to get that overgrowth to the curb!  The Streets Division will be collecting brush to coincide with refuse collection days.

Not willing to wait for curb side service?  You can always drop yard waste at one of the City of Madison drop off sites.  Those locations are:

East: 4602 Sycamore

South: 1501 W. Badger Rd.

West: 402 South Point Rd.

One reminder: garlic mustard, an invasive weed, should be placed in the trash.  No need to spread this nasty weed!

Good luck!