Madison alders approved several Housing Forward proposals at their Oct. 7 City Council meeting to improve the ease of building a variety of housing across the city.
Combined with Council-approved Housing Forward proposals over the summer, there could be “potentially thousands of new residential lots and homeownership opportunities across the city,” the city of Madison said in a statement.
“We need a diversity of homes, of all sizes and prices, so everyone has an opportunity to thrive in Madison,” Madison mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement.
“The package adopted this evening addresses specific pain points that our planning and zoning staff have identified in our code,” Rhodes-Conway said. “These are primarily technical fixes that help untangle regulations, so our rules are more straightforward and easier to follow. And we will continue to pursue additional policies that create more housing options.”
Proposals adopted include:
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Clarifying height transition (step-back) requirements to allow more homes to be built;
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Making adjustments to lot area, lot width and alley-attached garage rear setback minimums to make it easier to build small residential buildings; and
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Allowing backyard cottages to contain two units while maintaining the current size limits.
The city of Madison has a goal of building 15,000 new homes by 2030. Currently, 5,020 homes are under construction, and 1,681 have been built in 2025.
