“You don’t have to move to live in a better neighborhood!”
Click a number on the map to read more about the neighborhood!
Flourishing Northside neighborhood associations and community organizations are creating a stronger Northside identity as the “Gateway to Madison. ” Neighborhood-based groups help Northside residents meet their neighbors and to have a voice in their neighborhood’s affairs. These groups also work through the Northside Planning Council to share information, address community-wide issues and create greater resources for Northside residents.
Want to start your own neighborhood association? Learn how here!
Click a number on the map to read more about the neighborhood!
1. Berkley Oaks ~ Neighbhorhood Spotlight, 2007
Mission: Using collaborative and cooperative leadership styles, the Berkley Oaks Neighborhood Association (BONA) serves the residents of the Berkley Oaks neighborhood.
2007 Accomplishments: Received a City of Madison 2007 Neighborhood Grant to attractively landscape a large traffic triangle approaching Berkley Park.
2008 Goals & Concerns: Concerns are the Popeyes’ empty store, Packers Avenue strip stores, crime, Tennyson development proposal, annual school closure threats and traffic. The goal is to have more fun!
Contact: Willy Holden, President, 444-9854, valwilly@charter.net
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2. Brentwood Village
Mission: Provide an organization which members are better able to deal with civic problems in community and promote recreational and social opportunities
2007 Accomplishments: Developed new recreation program for kids; Formed liaison committee for landlords and tenants
2008 Goals: Continue above activities. Evaluate recent neighborhood survey to better serve our members
Contact: Dolly O’Laughlin at Brentwoodvillage@gmail.com
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3. Cherokee Gardens
About: Association formed in 1976, includes 570 homes, and is governed by an elected Board of Directors whose responsibility is to administer Association’s By-Laws.
2007 Accomplishments: Road improvements; Maintenance of green space; Encouraging residents to employ energy efficient measures.
2008 Goals & Concerns: Continue supporting the efforts of the Northside Planning Council; Connect with the greater Northside.
Contact: Mary Jo Rimkus, President, 246-9111, or Association Office Phone, 244-8144 (M-F, 9 am-12 pm)
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4. Cherokee Townhouses
About: Cherokee Townhouse Condo-minium Homes, Inc. was founded in 1975, has monthly board meetings and an annual meeting. There are 57 townhouse condominium units.
Contact: John Kanvik, President, 245-1868.
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5. Cherokee II Townhouses
About: Cherokee II Condos began forming their association in 2007 and continue to look to build the association and connections to the greater Northside.
Contact: David Carpenter, 442-6958, dcarpenter3@charter.net
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6. Cherokee Park
About: Organized in 1994, Cherokee Park Neighborhood Association serves about 270 homes to provide community enjoyment, to generate a spirit of community among neighborhood residents and to promote awareness of this unique neighborhood surrounded by a lake, golf course and wildlife preserve.
Annual Activities: Garage Sale, Park Clean up, Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of July Bike Parade and Picnic, Halloween Event, Holiday Dinner
Contact: Kate Wade & Gene Becker, PO Box 8452, Madison, WI 53708-8452, (H)608-241-9865, cherokee.park@yahoo.com
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7. East Bluff
About: Formed in the early 70s as Wisconsin’s first condominium association, serving 176 units (450 residents), East Bluff residents enjoy Rhythm and Booms, Madison Mallards games and the multi-faceted Warner Park across the street.
Contact: Fernando Cano, 608-240-9114, east_bluff@yahoo.com
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8. Kennedy Heights
Mission: Create a community support network for low income families and increase available resources/programs to improve the lives of residents.
2007 Accomplishments: Began new Boys Group program; Ran biggest Girls and after school program year ever; Hosted four community events attended by 600 people.
2008 Goals: Host more programs for the whole family; Be Greener — use less, recycle more, connect kids to their environment
Contact: Alyssa Kenney, 608-244-0767,director@khcommunitycenter.org
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9. Lake View Hill
Mission: Educate and engage members in local issues. Celebrate living in the best neighborhood in Madison.
2007 Accomplishments: Held information sessions, neighborhood picnic, plant sale, and raffle.
2008 Goals: Promote neighborhood communication; Provide education/ updates on local issues and solicit input; Celebrate neighborhood pride
Contact: www.lvhna.org Lorie Walker, (H)608-244-1620, lawalker_ms@yahoo.com
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10. Lerdahl Park
About: Formed in 1996 in response to the threatened development of the Troy Gardens property and to the challenges at Mendota Elementary, Lerdahl Park includes about 275 households. The association is currently inactive.
Contact: If you are interested in getting involved, contact NPC at 661-0060.
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11. Lindbergh
About: The Lindbergh area is considered at large and is not organized as a neighborhood association at this time.
Contact: If you are interested in getting involved, contact NPC at 661-0060.
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12. Maple Bluff
About: Maple Bluff (population 1,350) is a neighborhood on the shoreline of Lake Mendota, once inhabited by Winnebago Indians.
Annual Activities: Winterfest, Father’s Day Parade, Garage Sale, Bocce Ball Fundraiser, Fest on the Fourth, Holiday Tree Lighting
2008 Goals & Concerns: Begin working on the Gateway Development Plan for the recently annexed triangle of land on Sherman Ave at Commercial.
Contact: Tim Krueger, Village Administrator, 244-3048
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13. Maple Wood Condos
2007 Accomplishments: Re-sided all buildings
2008 Goals: Pay for snow plowing from past year!
Contact: Randi Matthews, 244-7494, rmatt117@hotmail.com
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14. Mendota Hills
About: Formed in 1994, this association serves 150 homes west of Warner Park. The group is looking for neighbors interested in re-vitalising the association!
Annual Activities: Plant sale (spring), block party/annual meeting (late summer), “slow down” campaign, other activities
Contact: Bob Paolino, 249-7126, nowgohaveabeer@brewingnews.com
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15. Nobel Park
2008 Concerns: Safety; Rise in crimes and break-ins; Speeding through the neighborhood; Cars with loud bass
Contact: Cyndi Wood, 220.7092, mswood@ameritech.net
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16. North Lake Mendota
About: Formed in 1978 to protect the wetlands west of Mendota Health Center, the association serves over 300 homes. The association has established a retention pond park of storm water management and a wildflower and aquatic species area. Currently the association has reached an agreement with Mendota Mental Health Institute to do an annual Deer Harvest. It will continue to work with the city to develop Meadow Ridge Park, as well as sponsoring events that will allow the members of the neighborhood opportunities to interact.
Contact: Angelique Copeland, angelique_calder@hotmail.com
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17. Northport Community
Mission: Serving people to serve themselves through an integrated service delivery of housing and learning
2007 Accomplishments: Awarding of various scholarships and continued improvement in academic performance of students.
2008 Goals & Concerns: Continue academic emphasis and scholarship awards; Maintain the People Prep program and other partnership programs
Contact: Pat Steele, 249-9281, psteele@tds.net
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18. Packer Townhouses
Mission: Programs to ensure education and employment success of residents of Packer Townhouses and interested members of larger community
2007 Accomplishments: Maintained spectrum of pre-school to adult programming; Participated in Wisconsin Film; Held Chess Team awards; Involved youth in keeping Lindbergh school open; Provided college scholarships to five residents each semester; Maintained 100% graduation rate for high school class of ‘07; Developed podcast available on iTunes of interviews with residents from Africa, Asia, South America and Europe; Completed sixth community film
2008 Concerns: Loss of funding to Evenstart program; Potential cuts to bus service; Shrinking employment opportunities for residents with limited transportation; Child-care options
Contact: Jacki Thomas, 513-3866, jackithomas@tds.net
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19. Sheridan Triangle
Mission: Build neighborhood identity, cohesiveness and to provide a contact point for sharing information
2007 Accomplishments: Built neighborhood cohesiveness by working together on Triangle Play Area clean-up and care of two gardens; Annual summer picnic
2008 Goals & Concerns: Design logo to define identity; Add one more social event in summer; Neighborhood garage sale, “Slow Down” yard sign campaign
Contact: Pamela O’Donnell, 608-622-7930,stna.madison@gmail.com
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20. Sherman
Mission: Exchange information, hold events that benefit neighborhood residents, and make the neighborhood a better place to live.
2007 Accomplishments: Completed quarterly newsletter; Held bi-monthly neighborhood association meetings; Held periodic neighborhood events
2008 Goal: Increasing awareness and networking among residents through a “know your neighbor” approach
Contact: http://www.shermanneighborhood.org/ Megan Maguire, 608-240-0195, maguiremegan@yahoo.com or Lynette Jandl, 608-244-2858,bignoni@gmail.com
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21. Sherman Village
About: The purpose of the association includes enhancing the quality life for its residents and provide leadership on neighborhood issues. The Sherman Village Association is currently inactive.
Contact: If you are interested in getting involved, contact NPC at 661-0060.
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22. Troy Gardens
Neighborhood Spotlight
The Troy Gardens co-housing community is a colorful group of residential units clustered on one side of land owned by the Madison Area Community Land Trust (MACLT). This award-winning community has 30 condominium homes and strong ties among residents. Troy Gardens also includes 26 acres of protected open land used for community gardens, a CSA farm, prairie restoration and a wildlife habitat. The Northside Planning Council led the 10-yar community effort to preserve and plan the Troy Gardens project.
With the goal of creating conservation-based, affordable owner-occupied housing, the Troy Gardens community emerged in 2006 as buildings were completed and residents moved in. Twenty of the 30 units were sold to households earning at or below 80 percent of the area’s median income. These units will remain affordable because of restrictions on the amount of profit allowed upon resale. The remaining 10 units were sold at market rates.
Co-housing is a concept born in Denmark and spread to other countries. Residents actively participate in their specially-designed neighborhoods and share some common space (Troy Gardens hopes to start construction on a Common House in fall 2009). Co-housers manage their communities themselves.
Resident Patricia Calchina vibrantly captured this concept. “The result of our coming together has been wonderful, a group of people who want to live in community, live close to the land and in an ecologically sound way. As a result, I think we all try really hard to be good neighbors,” she said.
AARP and the National Home Builders Association agreed with this assessment. In December 2007, the two organizations honored MACLT with their Livable Communities Award for the Troy Gardens development.
Troy Gardens residents walk the talk of “living community.” Dozens of them gathered recently for a potluck, sharing a meal and conversation, and strengthening their neighborhood connections.
David Marshall expressed his own thoughts about his neighborhood. “Our community continues to evolve over time. Overall it’s a wonderful example of co-housing. We have residents from Hungary, Japan, Ivory Coast, Eritrea. All age groups are represented. It’s quite unique for Madison,” he said.
Calchina added, “For me, I feel like this place brings out the best in me. I am constantly inspired by my neighbors and touched by what lovely people they are. Additionally, I feel like it is all a learning experience. Sometimes it stretches me, and I like that.”
Contact David Marshal, Troy Gardens Community Association President, by phone at 240-0735.
By Mary Schumacher, The Northside News
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23. Vera Court
Mission: Encourage residents to invest in their own neighborhood and community
2007 Accomplishments: Collaboration with Troy Gardens to organize Savor the Summer Festival
2008 Goals & Concerns: Get more people informed about the neighborhood; Involve and engage people in their community by using the community center and having better access to the landlord about concerns; Encourage people to be more connected to the broader Northside. Publish a newsletter.
Contact: Benito Juarez Olivas, President, 906-2143, ancientlandmark@ gmail.com
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24. Vera Court Neighborhood Center
Mission: Collaborate with the Vera Court community to provide programming for children, families, adults and seniors
2007 Accomplishments: Expanded programs for Hispanic residents of the community and cooperative tutoring programs with local schools
2008 Goals & Concerns: Increased outreach to the greater Vera Court community and expansion of programming for adults and seniors
Contact: Tom Solyst, Executive Director, 246-8372, veracourt@yahoo.com
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25. Woodland Park
About: Residents from the Woodlands and Woodland Park Apartments reformed their association in 2006. Both properties were puchased by a new owners and landlords who were committed to improving both neighborhoods for residents.
Contact: If you are interested in getting involved, contact NPC at 661-0060.
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26. Woodlands
About: Residents from the Woodlands and Woodland Park Apartments reformed their association in 2006. Both properties were puchased by a new owners and landlords who were committed to improving both neighborhoods for residents.
Contact: If you are interested in getting involved, contact NPC at 661-0060.
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27. Whitetail Ridge
About: Whitetail Ridge organized in 1998, and the association will be focusing this year on developing more community leadership and involvement as a way to be successful in the present and sustainable into the future. The association monitors key land use projects, including the Cherokee Park, Inc. development that borders the northern edge of the neighborhood and the open space to the south. The group is currently working to identify key concerns to build momentum for future action.
Contact: Shelley Legried, President, 242-0139
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