Zoning Map Open House

While those four words may not evoke the excitement of, say, "National League Championship Series," I hope you will take some time to attend one of these informative events to find out how Madison's new zoning code will affect your neighborhood. The next open house is this evening, right in our own area, 4-8 pm at Mt. Olive Church, 110 N. Whitney Way.

Some background: zoning is the core building block of our city's land use policy. The zoning code controls what can be built where, by defining districts and then mapping the city into the various districts.

Madison's 40+ year-old zoning code was in need of a complete revamp, and this daunting project was completed earlier this year. The new code is easier to read and understand, more flexible, and reflects current best practices on growing and sustaining a healthy city.

Now that we've got new district definitions, we're now in the middle of the next step: to pick a zoning district for every part of the city. For most places, it's fairly easy to match the best-fit district with the existing environment. But the mapping project also creates opportunities to change how we think about particular areas and how we might like to see them change--or not--in the future.

You can find more information, a schedule of future open houses, and the proposed draft map on the Zoning Map web site.

I hope to see you there!