The Bloom - 91 apartments at Monona Drive and Dean Avenue
As a reminder, the City Council is expected to vote on Monona's newest apartment complex, The Bloom, at the corner of Dean Avenue and Monona Drive on Monday, March 6th at 7pm. A snapshot of this development includes 100% market rate rentals comprised of 83 apartments (61 efficiencies), 8 townhomes, and a new home to BMO Harris Bank. The entrance and exits will be located on Springhaven and Dean. A rendering is below.
Rental rates start at $1,252 for the efficiencies, $1,795 for one bedoom, $2,236 for two bedrooms, and $3,087 for townhomes. The development will feature underground parking but we do not know the additional charges for that parking option because that question has not been asked.
The financial agreement with the City includes providing $2,970,000 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the City will sell a parcel of land on the site to the developer for $1. We purchased that lot just over 10 years ago for $200,000 and have been maintaining and mowing for that time.
The developer is Nate Helbach from The Neutral Project. They are a new developer on the scene and do not currently have any completed projects. They currently have a 15 story apartment building in the works in Madison called Baker's Place, a 28 story apartment building in Milwaukee in the works, and are working to acquire the Elks Lodge on Lake Monona in Madison for a future apartment complex. Their Monona project is the smallest of all of these projects.
This is a public meeting where you can register in support of the project, against the project, or you can register to speak publicly. When you arrive, grab a slip of paper on the table as you enter to register your position or to register to speak.
The City's Transit Survey is Now Live
Text copied from the City's Transit Survey: "The Transit Commission is conducting this survey to better understand the bus transit needs and wishes of all who reside in, work in, or own a business in Monona. If you do not reside in, work in, or own a business in Monona, please do not take this survey.
"For more information on how our bus service operates now and changes being considered, please visit: myMonona.com/Transit. Resources there include Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), a comparison of services as offered and proposed, and service maps."
Please be sure to read the FAQ's prior to taking the survey so you have accurate information.
The Wisconsin State Journal recently published an article regarding this issue in early February. I issued a survey to gauge the 1,666 people who have subscribed to my email list. 107 people took the survey and those results are below.
*Endorsement Alert*
Street Parking Changes Now in Effect at the Dog Park
This summer I hosted the Dog Days of Summer event at the Monona Dog Park at the corner of Edna Tayler Parkway and Femrite Drive. It was a fun-filled wrestle mania event with dogs like Taco and Mylo battling it out on the field. At that event, the hoomans started talking about some low cost improvements that could be made to this active little park. Four priorities were clear: 1) shift parking to the east side of the street so users wouldn't need to cross the street, 2) add signage with rules and regulations to increase safety, 3) add a boulder so people resting on the bench and chairs wouldn't get their legs 'watered,' and 4) add a tree to the west of the bench for shade.
Items 1 and 3 have now been implemented and it has created a safer and more user friendly experience for all. The parking shift happened recently so the no parking zone is now on the west side of the street or the side of the Cemetery. Public Works had a boulder sitting next door to the park that wasn't being used. So the only costs were new parking signs and staff time to install them. We are grateful to the Public Works department and commission for supporting these improvements!
In-Person Absentee Voting Now Available at City Hall
If you want to vote early in person for the Spring Primary Election on February 21, you can still do so for one more day! The hours are Thursday, February 16 - 8:00 am-5:00 pm and Friday, February 17 (last day to vote early) 8:00 am-5:00 pm at City Hall.
To register to vote or view all things related to voting for the April 4 election, click here.
Want to support Kristie in her run for Mayor or request a yard sign? Click here!
Yours in service,
Kristie Goforth, Candidate for Monona Mayor 2023
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I have over 100 endorsements listed on my About page including Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett and the Local 311 Firefighters Union. But it also takes donations to see Monona make a pivot forward into a reality. Will you donate today? No amount is too small for this grassroots effort. For Venmo users, use @KristieGoforth. Paypal and ActBlue are also options for online donations. To send a check, make it to Friends of Kristie Goforth and mail it to PO Box 6594, Monona, WI 53716.
I have set a personal goal of knocking every door in Monona. I have knocked 654 doors as of today! Would you like to volunteer to be on my team? If so, please email me because the work starts now.