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Council reopens rezoning discussion for property occupied by resident; no final vote
Summary
On Jan. 7 the Madison Common Council voted to take Ordinance 2024-17 off the table so members could resume discussion of a rezoning request tied to a privately owned parcel where a resident is living in a cabin. The council heard code, ownership and sanitation concerns but recorded no final ordinance vote at the meeting.
The Common Council of the City of Madison on Jan. 7 voted to take Ordinance 2024-17 off the table so council members could resume discussion about changing the zoning map for a parcel where an applicant is living in a cabin.
Council members moved and seconded the motion to remove the ordinance from the table and approved it by voice vote. No final vote on the ordinance itself appears in the meeting transcript; the matter remained under discussion at the meetings close.
The applicant, Jonathan Thompson, told the council that if allowed to keep the cabin on the property his next steps would be to "continue working on our KE, put the toilet in, and also catch up on my bills" and to pursue longer-term development of the land. Thompson said his grandmother has signed the planning commission application but the county property ownership record in the citys GIS still lists his grandfather as owner and that no deed transfer had been filed with the county.
City building inspector Brian Shaw described the situation as "an unfortunate situation" and told council members the case requires a zoning decision. Shaw and other council members repeatedly cited plumbing, electrical and fire-code concerns tied to the property as obstacles to allowing the structure to remain in its current condition. Shaw noted the city must balance individual circumstances with building and safety codes designed to protect residents and first responders.
Council members said the planning commission had given an unfavorable recommendation on the rezoning request and that required notice-to-neighbor procedures for a rezone hearing had not been completed in the earlier processing. Members pressed the applicant on housing alternatives and resources. Thompson said he had no contingency plan for relocation and said Section 8 and other rental resources are unlikely because of past felony convictions.
Council members and staff urged Thompson to pursue the resource guide the city provided and discussed the possibility of speaking offline to identify temporary housing options while longer-term compliance steps are pursued. No ordinance adoption or final action to rezone the parcel was recorded in the council minutes for the Jan. 7 meeting.
The council also discussed procedural problems in how the application was handled: notices to surrounding properties were not delivered as required and the applicant did not appear at a prior meeting, which contributed to the item being tabled previously and then returned to the floor.
The discussion closed with council members asking staff and the applicant to continue working on sanitation, permitting and ownership issues before the council takes any final vote on the zoning change.
