Madison, Wisconsin Development News

Council Debates Zoning Flexibility for Access and Building Height in Residential Areas

The council considered a zoning code amendment to remove the requirement for vehicular access to collector or higher classified streets for 10 specific land uses. This change aims to provide flexibility, particularly for developments like schools and places of worship that may only have access from local streets. Staff from the Planning and Zoning Department and Traffic Engineering Department explained that the current 'black and white' ordinance can conflict with practical traffic management and site-specific needs. The amendment was prompted by the Madison Metropolitan School District's need for access from Cherokee Street for the Cherokee Heights Middle School redevelopment, as access from collector streets like Midvale or Nakoma is deemed less safe by traffic engineers. The council also discussed a related proposal to increase the maximum height for non-residential buildings in residential districts from 35 to 50 feet via conditional use, also driven by school district projects like Toki Middle School and Orchard Ridge Elementary. This height increase would apply only to already permitted non-residential uses and would require Plan Commission approval.