City Considering Replacing Single/Two-Family Planned Development Zoning With Conventional Zoning Districts
postedItem 4 on Tuesday's Plan Commission policy meeting agenda is a presentation and discussion of a process to rezone Madison's single- and two-family Planned Development (PD) properties into conventional zoning districts. This topic is important for District 3 because many homes in the southern, older area of the North Star neighborhood (Grandview Commons) have Planned Development zoning, and this has caused many headaches for residents. Planned Development zoning for larger buildings is not included because matching larger buildings to conventional zoning districts is more complicated.
About PD Zoning
Planned Development zoning is a relic of the past. Before the zoning code zoning code was significantly updated and modernized in 2013, the standard zoning districts didn't accommodate many of the development forms that residents wanted to see in their neighborhoods. Parts of the City built between the 1980s and the early 2010s are likely to have Planned Development zoning rather than the conventional zoning districts. Planned Development zoning is site-specific zoning, where specific use and development requirements are written for each individual Planned Development zone. Conventional zoning district rules are wholly within the City's zoning code and much more transparent.
Currently, minor changes to a property that should be a straightforward process to navigate—like adding an egress window or a patio space—can quickly become complicated if a home is located within a Planned Development zone.
Here's a screenshot map of the zoning districts that apply to this area. The red lines call out single/two-family Planned Development properties (caveat: I made this using a screenshot of the City'z zoning map).
Potential Move to Conventional Zoning Districts
The City is considering rezoning single-family and two-family Planned Development properties into conventional zoning districts later this year. That will include an in-depth analysis by City zoning staff to see which standard zoning districts correspond to the existing building forms, heights, and design that are currently on those properties. Here's a link to the zoning code for those who are interested.
According to slide 7 of the staff presentation to Plan Commission on Tuesday, public outreach will take place from April through June and will include informational materials, public information meetings, and input opportunities. Proactive postcard notifications will be sent to Planned Development property owners during this time. The formal rezoning process, including the legal postcard notices, is tentatively planned to take place between June and August.
More Information
City Zoning staff created this informational webpage that has sections about the challenges with Planned Development zoning and how the zoning permit process is different (much more complicated) for residents of Planned Development properties. Homowners Association (HOA) rules and fees would not be affected; the City is not a party to HOA covenants.
If your question isn't covered on the Zoning informational page for this project, email City Zoning at zoning@cityofmadison.com. Feel free to copy me on your emails so that I can follow the questions and any issues that may come up.
Interested residents an watch Tuesday's Plan Commission discussion about this topic in one of four ways:
- Livestream on the Madison City Channel website: https://www.cityofmadison.com/watchPlanCommission
- Livestream on the City of Madison YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CityofMadison
- Television: Watch live on Charter Digital 994 and AT&T U-Verse 99
- Attend in person in Room 206 of the Madison Municipal Building
Here's the Plan Commission meeting agenda. Comments to Plan Commissioners can be sent here: pccomments@cityofmadison.com.
I will continue to share information about this in future blog posts. Stay tuned.
