[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6312012,"mediaKeyId","2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028","parentId",2393155,"title","Madison council adopts rewrite of demolition rules after months of debate","audioSeconds",4884,"startMs",1883000,"endMs",6767000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028&start=1883&end=6767","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028/thumbnail_1883000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6312012/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Madison-council-adopts-rewrite-of-demolition-rules-after-months-of-debate","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6312012-edaa3f7482c0a087141f740b0d60707f/orig.mp4?Expires=1776393136&Signature=i7JmVT9lB9GlGHtjbhEIS02i9DaDm8FgCmQOrEpRPWYsbTkFvH3jEyDx3vMAAMmk1A-kS6o1LIcDgdLyp0CDD-8iDPbsLzpNTJbvOQ5sNaUCs1rSTpgfREo9pxGMOK1NkK7PNZIeXnieNDajDPrNFmfdK3EXnYWWtJ8xKG94JakZ5yfAxZaTFkp33AiDqIpuFfFvhXQlA87ysakTEC~ihD0ncmFEo3FJYWA~gnbMitW~X4tjgCfYn6k90j-6hI2KKzK-B6RfaPU64PB6s1~bxi4veCPeLBn-ej-af63BD4RUP0VU18mzoUXQXvsnPtQ8PDGvxslM45Zf92RCj7XWBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Madison, WI","date","2025-02-26T05:42:17Z","article","The Common Council on Feb. 25 adopted a substitute ordinance that rewrites how the city reviews demolition requests for principal buildings, shifting many nonhistoric cases to administrative permitting while retaining review by the Landmarks Commission and Plan Commission for properties identified as having historic value.

The change matters because it shortens review timelines for most demolition requests while keeping a process to consider historic resources for buildings where the Landmarks Commission finds possible significance.

City staff told aldermen the ordinance preserves the existing role of the Landmarks Commission but allows applications that the commission finds have “no known historic value” to go straight to permitting rather than wait for a Plan Commission hearing. Kevin Ferco, principal planner, told the council that over the past three years about 74% of demolition applications received a Landmarks Commission recommendation of no known historic value and that the new process would speed approvals in those cases.

“The Landmarks Commission will still review every application,” Ferco said. “The big change is that for those cases where they find no known historic value, those applications can proceed to permitting without an additional Plan Commission hearing.”

During public comment, preservation and development advocates clashed over the risk that a looser standard might allow demolition where mitigation would be more appropriate. Rick Chandler, president of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, said the bill’s goals — to streamline review and clarify standards — were reasonable but urged technical fixes. “Mitigation plans should be discussed only if there is a decision to demolish based on the other factors listed,” Chandler said, arguing that allowing mitigation itself to justify demolition could weaken protections.

Several speakers representing preservation organizations and neighborhood groups asked the council to move mitigation language out of the approval standard and into the conditions section, or otherwise clarify that mitigation cannot alone justify demolition. Supporters of the changes, including speakers representing Strong Towns and small-scale developers, said reducing administrative delays would help neighborhood-scale housing projects and reduce holding costs for small developers.

The council adopted an amendment from Alder Rommel that rewrote the new approval standards to include: (1) whether demolition is consistent with adopted plans or the ordinance’s purpose, and (2) whether factors exist that outweigh the public interest in preserving historic resources. The amendment also clarified several illustrative factors the Plan Commission can consider and preserved the Landmarks Commission’s category A/B/C advisory framework in the code.

A separate amendment from Alder Duncan, adopted earlier by roll call, added a sentence to the ordinance’s statement of purpose noting the city “balances its general interest in preserving buildings with historic interest, with its general interest to accommodate the growth of its population and built environment.” That amendment passed by roll call, 16–2. The council then adopted the Rommel alternate as amended by unanimous voice vote.

What the ordinance does not change is the Plan Commission’s role when Landmarks finds historic interest: those cases still go to Plan Commission for an approval decision. Staff and commission members said the rewrite aims to reduce repeat hearings in clear-cut cases while giving Plan Commission firmer guidance in cases that require substantive balancing of preservation and redevelopment goals.

Council members and staff said they expect the revised code to shorten timelines in many cases; opponents said clearer guardrails must be enforced to ensure mitigation does not become a loophole that erodes meaningful preservation.

The council recorded the Rommel alternate (as amended) adopted by unanimous vote. The earlier Duncan amendment passed by roll call, 16–2.

Background: The change follows public testimony at Landmarks and Plan Commission hearings earlier in February, where commissioners asked staff to clarify standards and to codify the Landmarks Commission’s A/B/C advisory categories in chapter 41 of the Madison General Ordinances. The substitute ordinance is the version the Plan Commission unanimously recommended forward.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Common Council: Meeting of February 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Common Council on Feb. 25 adopted a substitute ordinance that revises demolition review: most properties the Landmarks Commission finds have \"no known historic value\" will move directly to permitting, while potentially historic properties will still go to Plan Commission.","taxTitle","Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin","taxId",2852,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6311992,"Votes at a glance: council approves assessment, lobbying contract and brownfield loan",5816,10655000,16471000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028&start=10655&end=16471","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028/thumbnail_10655000.jpg","/articles/6311992/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Votes-at-a-glance-council-approves-assessment-lobbying-contract-and-brownfield-loan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6311992-0a19cf22d7f575aa36cc4fc496d838fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1776393136&Signature=Tm1BbFALsLk5-lf3-OQ6v2dKfMKNgk94diFRRV2DJIsujCml5eOmptwzawsQQLoj~gkKTcYwyfivnkmU6FXe7Q0mIPxhFgX~xwe3fPlr2w8tV~gK2fxk9l6mO5Zv0UQbwcLP4fmj47Ye2WHds5iLge1WFexcIobeNP65LDe8tV8C5UOT0UpnAUG4LlmhwT-m4sa0i4caFgPIJHdHeUkJ0kuv3MYac2Y-jgDrCEWwYiM1WUFJ5258oFS4WGsYOoiia2DIfojJI-AoDSYGI1XeDqolQi8q8QnlL26BzNYC2tLbwUgpzwmwCxEJy~toCEWjeRjf3PT8Jjc6tHowGr09Sw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several items on the Feb. 25 Common Council consent and regular agendas passed with unanimous votes.

Meyer Avenue assessment district (Legistar 87,074): The council approved plans, specifications and a schedule of assessments for the Meyer Avenue Assessment District of 2025. One resident was registered to speak but technical issues delayed the comment; the council took the item after staff confirmed plans.

Welch Group government‑affairs contract (Legistar 86,954): The council authorized a noncompetitive purchase‑of‑services contract with the Welch Group for government affairs and strategic advocacy services for one year with the option of two one‑year renewals. The substitute contract requires quarterly reports to the council or Common Council Executive Committee. Public registrants expressed concerns about transparency and whether the contract scope and deliverables were sufficient; council discussion emphasized quarterly reporting and contractual safeguards that permit the city to withhold payment for unsatisfactory work. The council adopted the substitute unanimously.

Huxley Yards Brownfields loan application (Legistar 87,067): The council authorized the city to apply to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for a Ready‑for‑Reuse Brownfields Cleanup loan up to $329,000 to assist remediation of contaminated soil at Huxley Yards, 2007 Roth St. Ald. Latimer‑Burris noted public comments and an earlier staff posting error regarding related records; council members said staff would continue community engagement. The motion passed unanimously.

Meyer Avenue, Welch Group and Huxley Yards actions were all recorded as unanimous votes on the floor.","The Common Council recorded unanimous votes on several noncontroversial items: approval of the Meyer Avenue assessment district plan, authorization of a lobbying contract with the Welch Group (one-year term with two one‑year options), and application for a Brownfields Ready‑for‑Reuse loan for contamination cleanup at Huxley Yards.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6311997,"Interim Police Chief presents quarterly data; department reports declines in several crime categories",372,9872000,10244000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028&start=9872&end=10244","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028/thumbnail_9872000.jpg","/articles/6311997/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Interim-Police-Chief-presents-quarterly-data-department-reports-declines-in-several-crime-categories","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6311997-0a1342c3393622c9678e57c27d3d68ab/orig.mp4?Expires=1776393136&Signature=bYnqlHswuNtUa~4kUFMDb7n3B2c1UsEfjk728sdLIkeW6ueoL6AzwzJ64Ii8gncTOQNPOSlzwmBg3UsTN2XAzUWlJtbhetdrhLf66OoyhT2rjOM3IJ8~1eveVnW17hoLBscHxxLE7IKdj0xPGUFoAfl8RHV6GujOK-az6MQ2oiAUrAhMGl~eQt~wyFhk-f28k4chZ-vypckshGzQAb7x-qS7sq~No07deZO~lGO0T1Drao3mQAfF8eXMJD6V3P4koHAEt6eYSDcD5lt5IriUM2li3RdIUOc8EUcd4oxDyBp1nZZfjxSePbEPCSBCHN7KavILg~sxbbIHC1VEdQLzxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Interim Chief John Patterson presented the Madison Police Department’s fourth‑quarter report to the council on Feb. 25, highlighting year‑over‑year reductions in several crime categories and summarizing use‑of‑force, training and staffing data.

Patterson said shots‑fired incidents in the fourth quarter fell 5.4% from the prior quarter and that the city recorded a drop of more than 20% in shots‑fired incidents compared with an earlier year highlighted in a public safety address. Robberies fell 22.8% quarter‑to‑quarter and burglaries were down 12% from the prior quarter. The department saw an increase in stolen‑auto reports in the quarter but remained down on the year when compared to 2023 totals.

The chief reviewed use‑of‑force statistics (58 incidents in the quarter, 305 during the year) and described how each incident is reviewed against policy and training. He also noted 30 new patrol officers graduated and joined patrol in February and pointed to the department’s restorative‑justice referrals for 12‑ to 16‑year‑olds; those juveniles receive restorative justice referrals rather than municipal citations.

Council members asked about the department’s body‑camera pilot and about impaired‑driving involvement in serious crashes. Patterson said the pilot report had been submitted to council late last year and that, absent budget instructions, there were no immediate plans for deployment; he said the department would await capital and operating budget direction. On impaired driving, Patterson said specifics about alcohol involvement in serious crashes could be provided from the crash reports.

The chief said the department posts changes to standard operating procedures and disciplinary outcomes to the department website and provides them for council review, and he encouraged alder questions or suggestions for the quarterly report format.

No formal council action was required on the presentation.","Interim Chief John Patterson presented the Madison Police Department fourth-quarter report, showing reductions in shots‑fired incidents, robberies and burglaries year‑to‑year, and outlined staffing, use‑of‑force and restorative justice data.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6312002,"City updates Housing Forward plan, unveils public housing tracker showing units under construction",492,3720000,4212000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028&start=3720&end=4212","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028/thumbnail_3720000.jpg","/articles/6312002/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/City-updates-Housing-Forward-plan-unveils-public-housing-tracker-showing-units-under-construction","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6312002-8ce031efa6f9fa0719350ffd8eb00569/orig.mp4?Expires=1776393136&Signature=Bm5J-XUs0M6hSIPZtgMVcbD3lJHzvTlZ8FEJw0Lyw8yHQBtn1Z7aKoXm7ZX980Qjcm6eCyUNq0YJE0Um3VMXifjtsjIf3P8YuWScKtp1s~OFFvegdUUG7ng9Luy1~RDvYSvyf2wTkC5WV3pirphJL8F2coSE4QQ5HxkTyw2c668wr3WA0~GtQhe6XkMrdpsNptfWkr9IG9~t6hP-DIM1KVONbht4VgLSAYOE7B-KBOeidujxQ4d0sP8du9-41bn5UQlvWIjKNqteq1Rd9T1mrelOU5gndWEyGgfOeBIjW-fxuzga8tXQ2948BiNX9PNk-P7zV6N7K0PoBS862xUmzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Madison planning officials on Feb. 25 reviewed the city’s Housing Forward strategy and demonstrated a new public housing tracker intended to show progress toward a five‑year production goal and a long‑term affordability target.

Director Matt Wachter and planner Heather Stauder told the Common Council the goal is to add 15,000 housing units over five years, including about 3,700 long‑term affordable units (defined by staff as housing restricted for 30 to 40 years). The tracker, now public, plots monthly completions, projects under construction and a map of affordable housing developments and their income levels.

Wachter said the 15,000‑unit target combines projected household growth and a goal to raise vacancy rates to a healthy level. “Our relatively conservative projections are that we’ll be adding 10,000 new households over that time,” Wachter said. “Because Madison has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the country, to push that up to a healthy five to six percent vacancy, we’re aiming for 15,000 units.”

Stauder walked council members through the tracker’s three pages — the landing page showing total progress, an affordable‑housing page with projects and a decade‑view map that includes demolitions. She showed that, at the time of the presentation, more than 4,400 units were under construction and just over 100 were completed in the most recent month shown.

Wachter and Stauder summarized recent accomplishments tied to Housing Forward: roughly $59 million of city funds leveraged more than $200 million of tax‑credit and other resources to create more than 2,500 new rental homes (about 1,700 of them income‑restricted); retained and repurposed city‑ and CDA‑owned sites for affordable and mixed‑income projects; and a variety of programs for home repairs, down‑payment assistance and eviction prevention that helped thousands of households during and after the pandemic.

Council members asked for finer grained breakdowns by unit type (single‑family vs. multifamily), for bedroom/bed counts (particularly for student beds) and for demographic cross‑tabs where possible. Planning staff said building‑permit records provide unit counts and that some assessor records or project files contain bedroom counts, but bedroom and bed counts are not consistently available in an easily queryable form and staff will investigate adding more detail in future tracker updates.

Wachter said the city will continue to pursue TIF and other tools to support affordable units and noted a multi‑year pipeline that includes phases of the Triangle redevelopment and other city‑led projects. Council members asked staff to return with reporting on implementation, especially how funded projects hold affordability over 30–40 years and how land‑trust partnerships will be used for long‑term affordability.

Planning staff said the tracker is intended to make the city’s housing goals public and to provide a simple way for residents, developers and community partners to follow progress.","City planning officials previewed the next phase of Housing Forward and released an interactive public tracker showing short-term goals, completions and affordable units under construction.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6312007,"Council approves code changes to encourage ADUs, infill and flexible garage/porch design",96,1467000,1563000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028&start=1467&end=1563","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2393155-ec2eaf70dd8bfd1c2c4dae14e00d6028/thumbnail_1467000.jpg","/articles/6312007/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Council-approves-code-changes-to-encourage-ADUs-infill-and-flexible-garageporch-design","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6312007-8dd370006d38ba77974ae21091e2ee5f/orig.mp4?Expires=1776393136&Signature=Vxpg6yD~StaAQQ7fRo~PnyE7uBq9W31f-0Pu2U75o4Hzds0HUB07aQ-PQH9Z6wgfUAvYmPBsFV2HHCyzxquo8-UC-I9q4NHWi3hpAZx0y58ySbAiYDSwOx1udxzScdwaU7abX6EC2Zw~76KX1gO43VWz~jWi9BNdoQBGpFSMawbzErYTg6nog8qNCFpwEcxeP4OoDI6UEClQFr9wid8mSdgIHYTddmfZDlLqXYy8IwgmnGosNKxEjwPJrnSFqlx2KeAenn7MAh0YGZEgUTt7qW6hF~mibiu7miUYb4ErDWEwZDGbSVqnrD2wZFeELUFUkeFPCQ3URZYLOXfYPWbhTw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Common Council adopted a multi-part package of zoning changes on Feb. 25 designed to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units, modest infill housing and to give homeowners more flexibility in garage and porch design.

Supporters said the changes remove technical barriers that have made small-scale housing harder and more expensive to build, while staff said the package focuses on problems they see most often at the public counter.

Key changes in the adopted package include: raising certain ADU footprint allowances (detached ADUs permitted up to a 1,000-square-foot footprint to align with detached-garage limits, with attached additions similarly allowed up to 1,000 square feet); removing an internal cap on ADU bedrooms; allowing alternative configurations for small multi-unit homes (back-to-back and combined stacked/back-to-back layouts); clarifying attached-garage façade rules (garage doors limited to no more than 50% of a facade and allowed to project up to 4 feet forward of 50% of the facade instead of requiring a 2-foot recess); allowing open porches to encroach within 3 feet of a side property line in defined circumstances; and removing a separate “usable open space” requirement that had required a minimum private backyard footprint per unit in many districts.

Katie Bannon, city zoning administrator, told council members that the usable open space requirement had become a practical obstacle to small infill projects because private yard rules stacked on density, setback and stormwater limits left little to no feasible space for the required backyard area. “Two years into the TOD overlay, we’re not seeing any negative impacts,” Bannon said of removing the usable open-space rule in areas where transit-oriented development is expected. Planning staff recommended retaining other controls — setbacks, lot coverage and landscaping — while removing the prescriptive private-open-space rule.

Alder Evers successfully moved an amendment at the meeting to restore the existing 25-foot maximum height limit for ADUs rather than raising it to 30 feet; the body approved the amendment by unanimous vote and then adopted the package as amended by unanimous voice vote.

Developers, planning staff and neighborhood speakers largely supported the package as incremental, practical changes that can reduce permitting time and lower barriers for small-scale housing and ADUs. Several residents and commissioners asked staff to monitor tree canopy, stormwater and neighborhood character impacts to ensure the changes did not unintentionally shift development impacts to peripheral areas.

The Plan Commission had recommended approval and suggested increasing the maximum ADU height to 30 feet; council members rejected that specific change at the meeting and retained the 25-foot cap.

What’s next: Planning staff said they will update the zoning handouts and counter procedures to align with the ordinance changes and track ADU permit activity. Staff noted that only a handful of ADUs have been permitted in recent years, and that administrative changes and clearer code language were intended to make ADUs a more practical tool for neighborhood-scale housing growth.

The council recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the package as amended.","The council approved a package of zoning amendments intended to ease administrative hurdles for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), allow more flexible attached-garage design and porches, and remove private \"usable open space\" requirements that have blocked small infill projects.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Madison council adopts rewrite of demolition rules after months of debate

Votes at a glance: council approves assessment, lobbying contract and brownfield loan

Interim Police Chief presents quarterly data; department reports declines in several crime categories

City updates Housing Forward plan, unveils public housing tracker showing units under construction

Council approves code changes to encourage ADUs, infill and flexible garage/porch design