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Council approves interim license for San Damiano house after debate over 'office' use
Summary
The Monona City Council approved Resolution 26‑6‑2907 on July 20, 2026, granting an interim short‑term license for use of the San Damiano property with attorney‑requested edits that limit seasonal office use. Council members debated whether the limited "office" language would nonetheless allow year‑round storage and short‑term event staging; the resolution passed by voice vote.
The Monona City Council voted July 20 to approve Resolution 26‑6‑2907, granting an interim short‑term license for use of the San Damiano property to the Friends of San Damiano as amended by the city attorney. An alder moved to approve the contract “as outlined with the changes outlined by attorney Cole,” and the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
Council debate focused on language the city attorney removed and replaced so the property’s interior use is limited to “office” during a seasonal window. One council member noted that attorney edits had removed nearly all non‑office uses and asked whether the change unintentionally blocked modest event staging and short‑term storage the group has used in past years: “Since attorney Cole deleted every other element of use of the house except for use as an office, do we want to put some of the other elements that were in the original agreement like some limited storage and staging for events…?” the mayor asked during discussion. Another council member argued that the phrase “office use” could reasonably be interpreted to include limited storage for event setup.
Concerns about building condition and accessibility were raised during the debate. One alder said they were willing to approve the interim arrangement for now but warned they would not support continuing the arrangement unless improvements were made to address code violations and ADA issues at the house: “I will not support continuing to allow this use unless improvements are made that address the code violation and the various ADA issues,” the alder said.
The approved document, as presented by the city attorney, limits office use to warm‑weather months (May 15 through Sept. 15) and otherwise places restrictions on second‑floor access and food preparation. Staff noted the interim license is only in effect through the end of the calendar year and will return for renewal; councilmembers expected to review results and any needed language changes at that time.
The motion carried on a voice vote; the transcript records a voice vote in favor but does not record a roll‑call tally of individual ayes and nays.
