Plan Commission keeps 4 parking stalls in 21-unit Spirit Street complex despite UDC recommendation to remove them

The Madison Plan Commission approved a conditional use permit May 12 to build two residential buildings totaling 21 apartments at 9453 Spirit Street and voted unanimously to keep four surface parking stalls the Urban Design Commission (UDC) had recommended removing.

Planning staff described the proposal as two buildings: a nine-unit building and a 12-unit building. Each unit would have a single-car garage; the site plan also shows nine surface parking stalls for a total of 30 stalls. Staff said the plan meets zoning minimums and does not exceed the zoning maximum; the current design produces a parking ratio of about 1.4 stalls per unit, lower than an earlier, previously approved 15‑unit design that had a 2.0 ratio with only garage stalls.

UDC recommended removal of four surface stalls adjacent to a proposed open play area to increase recreational space, citing supplemental regulation A (which allows planning commission discretion to require recreational areas to serve complex populations). The applicant's design team—Kevin Burrow of KBA Architects and Ryan McMurtry—asked the commission to keep the stalls, saying the stalls provide visitor and guest parking and that the proposed green space is still adequate and screened per the landscaping plan.

Commissioners and alders questioned transit access, street parking availability, trash collection, and likely resident travel behavior. Staff and the applicant said Spirit Street is newly constructed in the development and will allow on-street parking; Bear Claw Way is shown on city maps as restricted for street parking. Staff and the applicant said the site is not immediately walkable to high-frequency transit: the closest bus/BRT stop is about 1.5 miles away, so residents are likely to rely on personal vehicles. The applicant said trash collection will follow typical city practice: tenants store bins at each unit and roll bins to curb for pickup; the applicant offered to coordinate management arrangements for any large-item pickups.

After discussion, Alder Ugare moved to find that conditional-use standards were met and to approve the project subject to agency-recommended conditions except for the UDC recommendation to remove the four stalls; Alder Field seconded. The commission recorded unanimous approval.

The planning division noted that the commission may alter the UDC's advisory recommendation; the county and city review conditions remain in effect as previously indicated in the staff report. The project will proceed under the approved conditional-use determination and the terms captured in the staff report and approved site plan.