Madison, Georgia, is the quintessential picturesque town with graceful historic homes and a bustling downtown. Madison continues to draw visitors, retirees, and new residents seeking a nearly idyllic slice of small-town life. Spared by General Sherman’s March to the Sea, Madison retains over 100 antebellum homes and a wealth of handsome treelined residential neighborhoods. Madison’s significant historic architecture and the city’s traditional downtown have helped guide the historically sensitive redevelopment of the downtown and surrounding residential neighborhoods. Since the mid-1980s, Madison has undergone an impressive downtown revitalization. Spearheaded by a vigorous Downtown Development Authority (DDA), an experienced Historic Preservation Commission, an active Housing Opportunity Commission (GICH), a committed Planning & Development Department, and dedicated elected leaders and support staff, this decades-long redevelopment effort continues
to bear dividends for the community. First envisioned in 2000, the creation of Madison Town Park in 2009 catalyzed redevelopment between downtown and railroads. Now ringed with walkable, neotraditional mixeduse buildings, this successful redevelopment created a model for historically sensitive downtown redevelopment in communities across Georgia and the South. With the success of Town Park and other developments, Madison now sees the opportunity to expand redevelopment westward along two historic and active railways. In 2014, following successful negotiations with Norfolk Southern, DDA acquired the historic Central of Georgia Depot. City leaders envision the depot, currently undergoing renovation, as a trailhead, as a community gathering space, and centerpiece of a unique development along the railroad. In 2016, DDA acquired 2.3 acres adjacent to the depot. Already, plans exist to extend Bull Street through this property and create a public boardwalk and trail linking the depot with 5th Street and seven acres of preserved woodland to the northwest. With the recent development of 44 senior housing units at Silver Lakes Court and an additional 150 residential units planned nearby, Madison leaders recognize growing demand for a community hub west of the railroad. Madison Boxcar Alley and Artisan Village Designs
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