2025 Housing Forward Proposals
We all want Madison to be affordable for teachers and firefighters, bus drivers and baristas, nurses and mechanics – all of the people who make this City such an amazing place to live and work. And we all know that when there are not enough homes in our city, these people get priced out. If we want a community that is culturally, racially, and economically diverse, we have to build more homes, and we have to make those homes affordable for ordinary working people.
A mix of homes – of all sizes and prices – gives more people a chance to own their home, build wealth, and provide a solid foundation of economic stability and opportunity for themselves and the next generation.
Three new proposals will make it easier to build the types of smaller homes that we used to build and already see in many of the City’s more established neighborhoods. They will also simplify the permit process for some types of housing to lower the risks of building it. These steps will help create enough homes so that people from all walks of life can live all around our city.
We want every Madisonian – whether they were born here or moved here, have been here for a year or a lifetime – to be able to live in their choice of home and neighborhood.
Proposal 1: Allow duplexes, or twin homes, in all residential areas
This policy would allow a duplex, two-flat, or “twin home” on most residentially zoned lots throughout the City. Current City zoning limits or outright bans these choices in many neighborhoods. These exclusionary zoning policies are part of what has led to not enough homes being available for people to live and work here. This proposal would take a 2023 policy change made in areas near high-frequency transit and apply it citywide.
Details
This proposal would amend several sections of the zoning code to allow two-unit buildings as a permitted use with no need for a conditional use permit in all zoning districts where single-family homes are currently allowed. This also adds two-family twin as an allowed type of two-unit dwelling in the Downtown Residential 1 and Downtown Residential 2 zoning districts and aligns Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) standards in the Traditional Residential-Planned (TR-P) zoning district with the ADU standards of other residential districts.
Why is this being proposed?
Legalizing these types of popular homes will allow more areas of the city to support modest, small-scale homes that will open the door to more homeownership choices for young families, options for older adults looking to downsize as they age, and opportunities to build generational wealth as home values rise over time. These housing types tend to be more affordable than single homes, meaning more people could find a homeownership opportunity in their price range, and they will have more choices and flexibility as they search for homes across the city’s neighborhoods.
This is not a requirement to add a second home on lots currently zoned for single-family housing. It is a way to facilitate more small-scale, sensible housing options over time.
Where is this already allowed?
About 1/3 of the City’s residentially zoned land area already allows two units of housing on a lot. This includes areas that were included in the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zoning District in 2023, which accounted for about 7,400 properties citywide.
The map in this section shows where in the City two units of housing are allowed on a single lot right now (in orange) and where it would also be allowed if this ordinance is approved (in yellow). You can find examples of this type of housing across Madison already, fitting seamlessly into existing neighborhoods.
Proposal 2: Allow more property owners with deep residential lots to split those lots, creating “Backyard Lots”
This policy would allow homeowners with a deep lot that is twice the required minimum lot size to split their lot into a front lot and a “backyard lot,” sometimes also called a “flag lot” due to its shape, where a home could also be constructed.
A homeowner with a deep residential lot could choose to divide their lot to create a backyard lot, provided they meet the necessary space requirements, including allowing for access to the street that is at least 10 feet wide. The resulting lots would also have to meet minimum lot size requirements. Any new homes built on the new lot would also still have to meet all of the zoning requirements, including how far buildings must be set back from the lot lines.
These types of lots would allow for the addition of new homes and homeownership opportunities in existing neighborhoods without drastically changing the look of the lots from the street. While these have been allowed, changes to reduce the required street frontage to a width of 10 feet to accommodate a drive to access to the back lot and standardize the required minimum lot depth will enable some additional lots to be able to be divided.
Details
This proposed ordinance change would amend two sections of the Madison General Ordinances to make it easier to develop a “backyard lot” with a minimum 10-foot-wide driveway access to the street. This change would also remove Plan Commission review of this type of lot division, as long as all of the zoning requirements are met. This change also decreases the minimum average lot depth from 100 feet to 80 feet and decreases the required width of the strip of land providing street access to the backyard lot from 30 feet to 10 feet.
Why is this being proposed?
This change would make it easier to do something that the City has already allowed in some forms by making more deep residential lots eligible, which helps create more homes within the scale of the existing neighborhood. The resulting smaller lots would provide more opportunities for small-scale housing and homeownership.
With two distinct lots, the owner could sell one or both if they preferred. This provides people with more options to earn income or downsize while staying in their neighborhood and continuing to own a home. It also creates more homes in the city for others to buy or rent.
Where is this already allowed?
The City already allows people to subdivide their lots under certain conditions. Currently, the lot size must have the required minimum lot width plus 30 feet. This code change adds flexibility to allow more lot configurations to occur. The street frontage would only need to be wide enough for the front lot plus 10 feet.
Proposal 3: Simplify the permit process for small and medium sized housing developments downtown
This proposal would raise the threshold for determining whether projects have to go through a “Conditional Use” permitting process (versus a standard process), which can both take longer and have a less predictable outcome. This change has already been made in many parts of the city. This proposal would extend it to the downtown district and allow more projects to move through the standard permitting process, which would create more consistency with the thresholds in other parts of the city and create more certainty for smaller and mid-sized projects. All projects would continue to receive urban design review.
Details
Exact details of the proposed changes vary by zone and include:
| Downtown Area or Zone | Current Threshold(s) | Proposed Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Core (DC) | Greater than 4 stories or 20,000 square feet in size | Greater than 6 stories |
| Urban Mixed-Use (UMX) | Greater than 4 stories or 20,000 square feet in size; More than 8 housing units | Greater than 6 stories |
| Downtown Residential 1 (DR1) | More than 4 housing units | More than 12 housing units |
| Downtown Residential 2 (DR2) | More than 8 housing units | More than 36 housing units |
| State Street and 100 Block of King Street | Greater than 4 stories or 20,000 square feet in size | No change |
Of the Conditional Use permits issued in the DC and UMX zones in the past decade, about a quarter of the projects would have been allowed without a Conditional Use permit if the proposed thresholds were in place at the time.
Why is this being proposed?
As a result of extensive planning over the years, Madison’s downtown is identified as a major growth priority area, and there are specific zoning districts that contain standards to guide building form, placement, massing, and certain aspects of design. Despite that, downtown districts currently have lower thresholds triggering the need for a Conditional Use permit than some of Madison’s other intense mixed-use districts. In some cases, downtown Madison’s Conditional Use thresholds are even lower than more general mixed-use districts.
In 2021, the City of Madison raised the thresholds for when a Conditional Use permit is required in most mixed-use and multi-family residential zoning districts. Those changes resulted in more certainty for developers interested in building small- and mid-scale housing. Additionally, in 2023, the creation of the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zoning District further “boosted” the Conditional Use permit thresholds, but neither of those changes affected the downtown zoning districts.
Where is this already allowed?
This proposal would bring the downtown zoning districts' Conditional Use permit thresholds into alignment with the Regional Mixed-Use (RMX) zoning districts while maintaining existing tools for closer review of building design.
Examples of Regional Mixed-Use zoning districts include the Oscar Mayer area, East Towne and West Towne malls, and the University Research Park. This zoning currently allows for any number of homes and up to 5 or 8 stories without needing a Conditional Use permit.
Other zoning districts across Madison with Conditional Use thresholds similar to what is being proposed for the downtown area include:
- Traditional Residential – Varied 2 (TR-V2), which allows up to 12 homes without requiring a Conditional Use permit in residential buildings (24 for sites also in the TOD overlay district). Examples of these districts include some areas between E. Gorham St. and E. Johnson St. east of James Madison Park and portions of Williamson St.
- Traditional Residential – Urban 1 (TR-U1), which allows up to 24 homes without requiring a Conditional Use permit in residential buildings (36 for sites also in the TOD overlay district). Examples of these districts include areas between Regent St. and Brittingham Park, N. Breese Terrace west of Camp Randall Stadium, and stretches of University Ave. and Campus Dr.
- Traditional Residential – Urban 2 (TR-U2), which allows up to 36 homes without requiring a Conditional Use permit in residential buildings (60 for sites also in the TOD overlay district). Examples of these districts include parts of Sheboygan Ave. north of Rennebohm Park, areas surrounding Spring St. east of Camp Randall Stadium, and additional stretches between University Ave. and Campus Dr.
- Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMX), which allows up to 12 homes without requiring a Conditional Use permit in residential buildings, and in some cases up to 48 units in mixed-use buildings. Examples of these districts include some sections of Old Middleton Rd., E. Johnson St., Fordem Ave., and Cottage Grove Rd.
- Traditional Shopping Street (TSS), which allows up to 24 homes without requiring a Conditional Use permit in residential buildings, and in some cases up to 60 units in mixed-use buildings. Examples of these districts include some sections of Williamson St., Atwood Ave., and Monroe St.
What is a Conditional Use?
Per Madison’s Zoning Code, each zoning district has two types of allowed uses. The first type of use is a permitted use. These uses do not need review other than administrative review by City Agencies to ensure conformity with adopted ordinances. Some select permitted uses may also require review by boards such as the Landmarks Commission or the Urban Design Commission.
The second type of use is a conditional use. All conditional uses are reviewed by the Plan Commission and are allowed when certain standards are met. The Plan Commission must hold a public hearing before they make an official decision to grant a conditional use approval.
What would this look like?
Here are a handful of examples of how existing buildings would compare to the proposed new thresholds:
524 E. Washington Ave.
A 3-story building like this would be allowed without a Conditional Use permit in the Downtown Core (DC) and Urban Mixed Use (UMX) districts under the current thresholds and would also be allowed under the proposed new thresholds.
316 E. Wilson St.
This 6-story building required a Conditional Use permit for its size (about 30,700 square feet) when it was built in 2015, but would be allowed without needing a Conditional Use permit in the Downtown Core (DC) and Urban Mixed Use (UMX) districts under the new thresholds.
27 N. Webster St.
This 6-story building is significantly larger than what is allowed under the current thresholds for total area and required a Conditional Use permit for its size (approximately 63,000 square feet) when it was built in 2015, but at 6 stories, it would be allowed without Conditional Use permit in the Downtown Core (DC) and Urban Mixed Use (UMX) districts under the new thresholds.
179 W. Wilson St.
At 10 stories, this building is much larger than is allowed under the current thresholds and required a Conditional Use permit for its size (approximately 280,000 square feet) when it was approved. Construction on this building was completed in 2023. Since it is taller than 6 stories, a project of this scope would still require a Conditional Use permit in the Downtown Core (DC) and Urban Mixed Use (UMX) districts under the new thresholds.
What impact would this have on urban design review?
All downtown projects will continue to receive design review.
Today, buildings within the downtown zoning districts are required to comply with zoning rules regarding buildings’ overall height and certain aspects of their design. Projects within the DC and UMX zones are also required to adhere to the Downtown Design Guidelines, which are reviewed by the City’s Urban Design Commission (UDC). Within the DR 1 and DR 2 zones, applicants, Alders or staff can request that the UDC review a project. These design requirements will continue to apply even with the proposed change to Conditional Use thresholds.