WI: Madison may ban new car dealerships, restrict drive-thrus near BRT routes

Madison’s City Council will consider a ban on new car washes, car dealerships, standalone surface parking lots and some drive-thru windows near Bus Rapid Transit routes under proposed zoning changes intended to increase housing options.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s proposal would also let buildings have at least four units — up from at least two units today — in all residential zoning districts in the Transit-Oriented Development overlay zoning district, which was created in 2023 to promote density near BRT routes. The overlay district covers close to one-fifth of the city.

Separate proposals would allow “cottage courts,” or up to eight homes on a single zoning lot, in most residential zoning districts citywide, and rezone a number of properties within the Transit-Oriented Development overlay district to match the land use recommendations in adopted city plans.

The proposals were introduced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

They’re the latest pieces of the mayor’s Housing Forward initiative, which aims to ease the shortage of housing in Madison and create more rental and ownership options that people can afford.

All of the proposals were cosponsored by Alds. John Duncan, Tag Evers, Derek Field, Yannette Figueroa Cole, Carmella Glenn, MGR Govindarajan, John Guequierre, Badri Lankella, Sabrina Madison, Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, Julia Matthews, Sean O’Brien, Will Ochowitz, Mike Verveer and Regina Vidaver. Ald. Bill Tishler also cosponsored one of the rezoning proposals.

“By adding more cottages, townhomes, and housing options near public transit, Madison can offer homes for people of all backgrounds and stages of life, making our city more inclusive and affordable for everyone,” Figueroa Cole, who represents part of southwestern Madison in the 10th District, said in a statement.

The council has approved a number of earlier Housing Forward ordinance changes, such as loosening restrictions on accessory dwelling units, expanding where duplexes are allowed and reducing lot size requirements for houses.

More units, less car-centric development

Duplexes have been allowed in all residential areas in the Transit-Oriented Development overlay district since 2023, despite pushback from some residents of single-family neighborhoods who felt duplexes would affect their neighborhoods’ character.

Creation of the overlay district also removed minimum vehicle requirements and tightened maximum parking limits, set a minimum height of two stories for most buildings in multifamily residential, mixed-use and employment districts and raised some maximum building heights.

The mayor’s proposal would allow three- and four-unit buildings anywhere in the overlay district that duplexes can currently be built.

And it would restrict “auto-centric” uses, banning new “car washes, automobile sales and rentals, and standalone surface parking lot facilities as principal land uses” within the overlay district. It would continue to allow surface parking lots as an accessory use.

Drive-thru windows would only be allowed “if incorporated into more intensive development,” such as an apartment building.

Cottage courts could go in most neighborhoods

A proposal championed by Martinez-Rutherford would permit cottage courts, defined as up to eight detached single-family homes on one zoning lot, in most residential zoning districts throughout the city.

The lot would have to be between 10,000 square feet and 1 acre and each home no larger than 1,000 square feet. There would be “common management and/or access,” according to the proposal. Any onsite parking would be shared.

“Cottage courts are so exciting to me,” Martinez-Rutherford, who represents parts of the East and Southeast sides in the 15th District, said at a press conference in September.

“I don’t know about y’all,” she said, “but I have been dreaming of property where I can build smaller-footprint houses, multiple of them, on a plot of land, and live with my friends and my family and the people that I love.”

Rezoning four areas for future land use

Four areas in the Transit-Oriented Development overlay district will be considered for rezoning under the proposals, bringing them into line with future land use recommendations in the West and Northeast area plans, both adopted by the city last year.

These include:

• Changing 659 N. Whitney Way, 5003 University Ave. and 4860 Sheboygan Ave. to the Regional Mixed-Use zoning district — which the city defines as “high-intensity” and having “a variety of multifamily housing options and commercial activities that serve the needs of the region” — as recommended in the West Area Plan.
• Changing 402–434 and 429–433 Gammon Place to Regional Mixed Use as recommended in the West Area Plan.
• Changing 5701–5801 Mineral Point Rd. and 422 S. Rosa Rd. to Regional Mixed Use as recommended in the West Area Plan.
• Changing 4217–4237, a portion of 4301 and 4325–4401 Lien Rd. to the Commercial Corridor-Transitional zoning district, defined as “historically auto-oriented commercial corridors that should become mixed-use corridors,” as recommended in the Northeast Area Plan.
• Changing 3245 E. Washington Ave. to Commercial Corridor-Transitional as recommended in the Northeast Area Plan.

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