Madison's Northside boundary (click to download)

History of the Northside Planning Council

NPC began in 1993 with City support and has grown into one of Madison’s most successful and effective community organizations. NPC has won numerous awards for community achievement, including a Neighborhood of the Year Award from Neighborhoods USA and the CDBG 30 Year Madison Community Development Award. NPC works with diverse community leaders from 26 neighborhood, business, senior, faith, school and community center groups. Our citizen leaders, supported by professional capacity-building staff, assess the needs of the Northside community, develop partnerships and actively lead advocacy and organizing efforts to meet our community’s goals and address issues.

Over 17 years, NPC has partnered with the City to transform an unorganized, socially fragmented and politically ignored community into Madison’s most engaged, informed and best-organized community with a strong identity and high quality of life. Major accomplishments include organizing 11 new neighborhood associations, partnering with the City to build Warner Park Community Recreation Center, organizing the award-winning Troy Gardens project, successfully advocating for a new grocery store, an expanded library and better schools, publishing the Northside News community newspaper, and developing the “Northside Brand”  and “Community Vision.”

Today, the most significant issues facing Madison’s Northside Neighborhood, center around economic hardship (poverty, job loss, disinvestment, visual blight, etc.). NPC recognizes we must further engage our community to enhance the Northside Neighborhood’s capacity, so as to better lead Community-based Economic Development (CED) opportunities (actively inspiring the rebuilding and investment of our community economically from within).  It is imperative we connect and address the needs of both the residential and business community, to invest in and promote strategies that will enhance the entire Northside community.  These efforts begin with the creation of new partnerships centered on fostering new neighborhood investments to promote betterment opportunities.

For example, a new Economic Development Coalition of community business partners has formed to begin outlining marketing strategies for the Northside.  New jobs will be formed from the creation of our Commercial Kitchen Incubator, (operating by Spring 2012), and a new partnership with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) is underway, supporting micro-enterprises and strengthening our outreach to small businesses and entrepreneurs.  We are working diligently with the Alders and City officials to execute beautification projects and re-brand the Northside with a community atmosphere that inspires and welcomes residents and visitors. These efforts are part of NPC’s leadership in implementing the City’s Northport-Warner-Sherman Neighborhood Plan. We continue to celebrate our diversity and identity through our Community-wide Council meetings, where participants can connect with other Northsiders, plan solutions to community issues, gain and provide input on community topics, receive updates from Alders and community leaders and sign up to volunteer on NPC project teams. Our bi-monthly 32 page Northside News Newspaper continues to support and represent the pulse of the community as well as communicate with those unable to participate in meetings and project teams.

NPC’s Current Goals and Objectives

GOAL ONE: CREATE NEW AND INCREASED CAPACITY
Advocate CED/Northside Neighborhood strategies through connecting, teaming, investing, expanding and growing new and stronger partnerships with community leaders:

GOAL TWO: INVESTING IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BEAUTIFICATION AND COMMUNITY BETTERMENT
A.  Business/Entrepreneur Assistance

  • Support our Northside SOHO (Small Office | Home Office), Entrepreneurs
  • Seek opportunities to retain, expand and recruit businesses to the area and promote the creation of an informational database to optimize business investment
  • Investing in local businesses, entrepreneurs and opportunities to train the local workforce and utilize existing Business Development Centers/Agencies, CDBG, RLF, TIF, BID and other programs

B.  Beautification/Northside Identity

  • An Art & Design Team shall work to “Brand” the Northside and promote visual and esthetic enhancement throughout the community
  • Redefine the “Image” of Madison’s Northside as a vibrant and beautiful Neighborhood, investing in infrastructure and community appearance
  • Promote a pedestrian scale “Main Street” theme throughout the business corridor of Sherman Avenue from Northport Drive to Commercial Ave
  • Create a “Sense of Place,” building and expanding upon the Northside Identity
  • Ensure significant “Gateway” enhancements along Hwy 113 Northport Drive and Packers Avenue
  • Lead the implementation of the strategies and recommendations outlined in the Northport-Warner-Sherman Neighborhood Plan

C.  Community Economic Development Projects

  • Development of a Commercial Community Kitchen by Spring 2012
  • Development of the Dane County Regional Airport (Packers Ave. and International Lane) & Expansion of TID #40
  • Promote, partner and lead opportunities for blight elimination, community investment, urban renewal and redevelopment
  • Enhancing and promoting the economic growth and economic gardening of the Northside Community

GOAL THREE: PROMOTING COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY, PARTICIPATION AND VOICE ON ISSUES
A.  Northside News

  • Continue to represent the pulse of the community and share public information through publishing free bimonthly newspapers for the Northside, while expanding resource opportunities to promote businesses, as well as social enterprise in the community
  • Communicate the “Vision” of the Northside and market the area to represent the presence of family, security and fun, while showcasing the businesses, neighborhoods and people of the Northside community
  • Represent, celebrate, promote and advocate for the Northside Neighborhood

B.  Full Council/Community Representation and Involvement

  • Bimonthly community celebrations, dinners, information sharing and community brainstorming for increased participation and social enterprise
  • Engage and strengthen Neighborhood Associations and community involvement

C.  Community Outreach

  • Educating, training, mentoring and community organizing
  • Promoting community awareness and connectivity, celebrating the Northside’s diverse and unique cultural identity
  • Embrace and build upon community pride and resources
  • Develop strategies to enhance opportunities and involvement for seniors, youth and low to moderate income families