Downtown Madison waterfront re-do

Excitement, awe and some skepticism greet transformational plans for the Lake Monona shoreline

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Eau Claire is 180 miles from Madison, but that didn't stop Paige Bernhardt from making the journey to attend an in-person public meeting on three final proposed designs to transform Lake Monona’s downtown shoreline.

“These are world-class design firms,” Bernhardt, who received her undergraduate degree in landscape architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells Isthmus at the Jan. 26 meeting at the central branch of the Madison Public Library. “To have them in Madison, we are pretty lucky. It is pretty inspiring.” 

Bernhardt says she loves Madison and was excited to hear the three design firms explain their ambitious visions. “All of the groups did a really good job at telling the story of what this place could become,” she says. 

The city of Madison is in the process of choosing a design firm to reimagine, for the first time in decades, the Lake Monona waterfront between Olin Park and Williamson Street. The city launched a competition in early 2022 to “create a visionary, inclusive, and environmentally focused master plan” for 1.7 miles of shoreline and 17 acres of public lakefront. 

The finalists are Agency Landscape + Planning of Cambridge, Massachusetts; James Corner Field Operations of New York; and Sasaki of Denver.

Excitement about the project was evident as more than 200 community members filled the third floor meeting room at the library to hear directly from the design firms, with people standing in the aisles and hallways to watch the anticipated event. 

Isthmus spoke to about 10 attendees at the event; most did not express a preference for any of the proposals but were just generally excited by the expansive visions and potential.

“There are so few opportunities to do something world-class and this is one of them,” said UW-Madison alum Ben Schmidt. 

Lily Kelley was impressed with all three plans. “It was very inspiring,” she said. “It just filled me with awe.” 

Along with the enthusiasm, though, came some concern. 

“This is a great idea...I just don’t think any of this is ever going to happen,” said Andrew Schneider, who was born and raised in Madison. “I am just a little skeptical that there is enough political capital to actually accomplish what is being talked about.” 

Aaron Levine, a cyclist, has similar concerns. He found the concepts “awesome,” but acknowledged that there is the challenge of implementation and funding. The estimated cost of the projects vary, but will likely be greater than $100 million.“My concern is none of it happens or only the bare minimum gets done.”

At a panel discussion about a week later, hosted by Downtown Madison Inc. and Clean Lakes Alliance, the president of Friends of Nolen Waterfront, the nonprofit organization raising money for the shoreline redo, addressed those concerns. Raj Shukla, a formal mayoral candidate, said that the organization would match the city’s investment dollar by dollar and ensure that the project “reaches its potential.” 

“There will be a public investment, but they'll also be a significant private investment,” Shukla later told Isthmus. “Part of what the Friends of Nolen Waterfront exists to do is to bring private resources to a project like this.”

Added Shukla: “There’s actually an opportunity right now to find public funding from the federal government and through the state to help with a project like this.” 

The Plans 

Sasaki’s concept, “Voices of the Lake: Monona’s Waterfront,” focuses on establishing a greener lakefront, one that protects and provides habitat for amphibious life and keeps the lakes healthy. The plan includes the implementation of green infrastructure such as rain gardens and wetlands that capture storm water before it reenters Lake Monona. 

“Voices of the Lake” divides the 1.7-mile stretch of land into four core segments. “Law Park Ledge” would feature a park over John Nolen Drive, an outdoor performance space and a community boathouse. “Lake Lounge” would connect to the Capitol and have space for new restaurants and food trucks on the waterfront. The “Community Causeway” would create safe access for bikers, walkers and runners to travel along the edge of Lake Monona. And the “Olin Overlook” would offer expansive views of the city and an education nature center. 

“The Story Walk,” a pathway using carvings and other works of art to highlight the history of Madison, including its Ho-Chunk roots, would connect all four districts. 

Agency Landscape and Design’s “Reviving Lake Monona” features plans to establish a “healthy and functional ecosystem,” “safe and welcoming paths for all,” and a lakefront that is “vital and active through the seasons.” 

“Every time we have an opportunity to work in Madison, community engagement is always forefront in the design process,” Agency architect Chris Wingate said in an interview with Isthmus. “It is always excited community engagement.”

Taking the community’s needs into consideration, the team split the Monona waterfront into three sections: Olin Park, The Causeway and Monona Hill, a waterfront park that would offer access to the lake as well as a space for community events of all sizes. 

The Causeway would offer a safe and accessible series of pathways for every type of travel. Olin Park would feature an innovative “walk on water” boardwalk that would allow patrons to fish, stroll, and just spend time by the water. 

James Corner Field Operations proposes “The Wild Lakeshore,” a comprehensive plan divided into four key parts: turning John Nolen Drive into a green road, “rewilding” the shoreline to improve water quality and lake health, connecting the city to the lake with 10 strategic routes, and bringing the lakefront to life with engaging piers and parks. 

The plan features a large beach and easy lakefront access, a boathouse, a large event lawn, restaurant space, and other play areas. 

Next steps

Madison residents have through March 23 to provide feedback on the designs through a survey. Interested individuals can also view each team’s presentation boards, including plan renderings, at Madison Parks' new central office. 

After March 23, the Lake Monona Waterfront Ad-hoc Committee will meet to select a preferred plan, taking community input into account. The committee will then work with the winning team to refine their plan before submitting it to the Common Council, likely in August. Once the final plan is introduced, the council will refer it to several city committees to undergo more review before it comes back to the council for a final vote. 

“Community input is just critical,” Allen Arntsen, chair of the city’s Lake Monona Waterfront Ad-Hoc Committee, said at the panel discussion hosted by DMI and the Clean Lakes Alliance. “This is a bottom up kind of approach, it is not a top-down kind of approach.”

The shoreline project will likely take well over a decade to complete. Shukla says that he and many others involved in the project consider the upcoming reconstruction of John Nolen Drive, planned for 2026, to be the first phase of the project.

“What happens with that reconstruction will have a huge impact on what we can and can't do going forward,” Shukla says. He also said the city and Friends of Nolen Waterfront are working closely together to make sure the projects are done in collaboration. A public meeting on the reconstruction is slated for Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. 

Shukla says the reimagining of Lake Monona’s downtown shoreline will have broad impact.

“This project is more than just a park,” he says. “This is a way to reintroduce the city to the world.”

[For more details on each of the plans see: Sasaki; James Corner Field Operations; Agency Landscape and Design.]