Cottage Courts Ordinance Updates

Cottage Courts

Cottage Courts is one of the options included in the Housing Forward Strategy. Housing Forward predates my time on Council, as I was first elected in 2021. There is no valid argument to suggest that the Council is rushing this or any other zoning changes. The city is privileged to have a professional workforce, including planners and zoning experts working on these requests. We also have a group of community members volunteering their time and expertise to review staff's recommendations. Ordinance 90557 was reviewed by the Plan Commission and Housing Policy Committee before extensively discussed at the Common Council.

This option may not be suitable for everyone. If I am looking for a house with a garage, enough land to build an ADU, a one-floor ranch-style home with a perimeter larger than 1000 square feet, and enough distance between my house and my neighbor's, then Cottage Courts is not an option for me. Madison is overcrowded with homes with attached garages, long driveways, deep lot sizes, and Veridian homes does a great job serving the needs of people interested in traditional housing options. Cottage Courts do not fit that mold, and that is the point: to offer something different that can meet the needs of residents seeking affordable, innovative, or community-oriented housing options.

Cottage Courts housing is not much different from a single-family home; the city doesn't require houses to have attached or detached garages, but it provides the specifications if the choice is to build one. The city doesn't require planting trees or bushes or landscaping, but it gives the specifications to promote Health and Safety if we want to plant trees, bushes, and have landscaping. The main differences here are how we maximize the use of land by centralizing parking in a separate area and by allowing single-family detached dwellings, two-family dwellings, and a combination.

We have received a few emails asking for reconsideration of this ordinance. For all the above reasons, I am not inclined to support a reconsideration vote. Any alder who wants to consider further changes to the ordinance can discuss their ideas with City staff and determine if they want to sponsor and introduce a resolution making those changes. Feel free to reach out if you have additional questions after reviewing this blog and the links provided.