Information on Updates to the 2018 Comprehensive Plan; Implications for Future Development on Old Sauk Road

Hello, District Constituents.

I apologize for a lengthy post here (I've been asked to be more succinct!) but I want to make sure I share all the details I can to address questions and concerns I've been receiving related to future development along Old Sauk Road.

At the last Common Council Meeting on November 21st, I asked for an item to be referred to the next Common Council Meeting on December 5th. That item (Legistar #80367), involves proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2018. The Common Council voted 11-9 in favor of that referral request to allow for more time for questions to be answered about the proposed Comprehensive Plan changes, which have implications for Old Sauk Road development. 

Specifically, this post is related to the inquiries and concerns raised by residents about the plot on Old Sauk Road between Gammon and Old Middleton on which Stone House Development and New Development Madison are planning to propose multi-family housing. As I mentioned at the neighborhood meeting on October 24, the development team requested a meeting with residents prior to developing an official proposal or submitting anything to the City for approval. The meeting was put together by City staff, who sent postcards out about the meeting in mid-October to the widest catchment area possible, given several options. Many of you attended that meeting or watched the recording afterwards.

Below I describe what I have learned in response to your questions during and since the meeting, some of which relate to the 2018 Comprehensive Plan and its inclusion of an “escalator clause”, some of which pertain to the difference between Comprehensive Plan recommendations and zoning codes, and some of which pertain to the City’s “Transit-Oriented Development” or “TOD” overlay and its relationship to this particular site.

First, I’ll address the Comprehensive Plan questions. The 2018 Comprehensive Plan involves a number of different planning areas, but with respect to the issue at hand, the recommendations related to “generalized future land use” (GFLU) are most relevant. The GFLU recommendations for this particular site, included as part of the 2018 plan, are to allow increased density up to 30 units per acre, with the potential for 70 units per acre if an escalator clause (which is currently vaguely defined in the plan) is approved. I know some of you have expressed feeling like the escalator clause was something just passed or “out of nowhere”, but I did learn that it has been in place for over five years for the site in question. 

Next, I’ll address questions related to the TOD. The TOD overlay was developed and passed in early 2023 to allow and encourage more intensive development “by right” within proximity to Madison’s new “bus rapid transit” system or BRT. However, the Council’s’ approval of the TOD does not mean that intensive development and redevelopment will not occur elsewhere (this was a point of confusion based on some of the questions I received). There are many places in the city more distant from the BRT where multi-family residential uses are planned or exist today, some of which lack transit service altogether. The fact that Old Sauk Road is not in the TOD or near the BRT bus stops are not necessarily factors in this case.

Now to zoning-related questions. The zoning codes represent the snapshot in time regulations governing property development and redevelopment. The TOD-Overlay Zoning District was apparently created to make it easier for sites to accommodate more development WITHOUT needing to request rezoning (as an example, any property zoned SR-C1 can accommodate a duplex and an accessory dwelling unit – up to 3 total units – by right when it lies within the TOD.) For the Old Sauk site in question, rezoning would be necessary to accommodate a new multi-family development. Zoning changes are, however, guided by and tend to closely follow the 2018 Comprehensive Plan recommendations and any subsequent changes (such as those being voted on this coming week). 

Now to what is before the Common Council for a vote on December 5th. The element of the Comprehensive Plan Interim Update relevant to the Old Sauk Road site (and all other LMR sites across the entire City) is whether the “escalator clause” should be changed to include additional considerations that the Plan Commission and Common Council should take into account when making decisions about future rezoning requests guided by the Comprehensive Plan.​ 

I believe the proposed changes to the escalator clause improve upon what is there now (which is extremely vague---allowing the escalator clause to take effect under "select conditions"). The proposed changes will require the consideration of 8 factors, including relationships between proposed buildings and their surroundings, natural features, lot and block characteristics, and access to urban services, transit, arterial streets, parks, and amenities. 

I plan to support the proposed changes because NOT having them in place leaves all relevant committees, commissions, and boards without any guidance at all on what should be considered, and leaves residents without any guidance on how to think about the implications of its use.

I do want to confirm that I have received and appreciate the memorandum developed by a group of residents who have carefully thought through the implications of each of the proposed escalator clause conditions described above. On Tuesday, however, the Common Council vote is not about any specific development project. It is only about changes to the Comprehensive Plan, in general. 

As I have stated in an earlier blog post, I have questions and concerns about the density being considered for this site, given the well-established tree canopy along this stretch of Old Sauk Road, the lack of sidewalk infrastructure, the narrow road already hazardous for bicyclists, and existing traffic congestion problems near the elementary school during drop-off and pick-up times. That said, I am also in favor of more housing options especially near schools, and especially when a portion of the units can be more affordable and 3-bedroom units are involved to accommodate families with multiple children.

When I learn what the development team intends to propose next, I will let you know. What I do know is that they are trying to envision something that addresses some of the concerns they heard at the October neighborhood meeting, but I do not know any specifics.

I hope that clears up some of the questions you have submitted to me, especially about the timeline involving the the Comprehensive Plan currently in place and the city zoning codes, including the TOD. However, feel free to send additional questions. I may forward some on to City staff if I am unsure of the answer, so you may get a reply from someone other than me, with me copied on the response.