MADISON, WIS. (EXCERPTS FROM HUDUSER.GOV) – Rise Madison is a new, income-limited housing development that is expected to ease the housing squeeze in Madison’s Hawthorne Area. “Rise” refers both to the goal of uplifting the community, and to the rise of dough in breadmaking. The development’s four unique buildings are nestled on the 6-acre site of a former bakery.
The project helps meet Dane County’s housing affordability goal of adding 35,300 new workforce housing units for households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) by 2040. In 2025, the opening of Rise Madison helped close some of this gap, adding 245 units of income-limited housing as one of the largest government-subsidized housing developments.
To convert the site to housing, the city rezoned the area from industrial and light manufacturing to multifamily residential with light commercial while overlaying a tax increment financing (TIF) district. Construction began in December 2023, and the development opened in phases until the project’s completion in October 2025.
The Rise Madison development includes the Starling which serves senior residents; The Vireo Townhomes; the 5-story Hawthorne Pointe mixed-use residential and commercial building; and The Phoebe with housing and community space.
Neighborhood residents can also enjoy access to the 1.5-acre park at Rise Madison, which was added in response to community concerns that the neighborhood needed additional park space. Reflecting the multigenerational character of the development, the park includes playground equipment for children, adult exercise equipment, and a looped walking trail that lets seniors and residents of all ages enjoy outdoor activity.