Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, along with a group of other alders, introduced several proposed amendments to the city's zoning code to the Madison Common Council on Jan. 14, and will be voted on Feb. 25.
The city of Madison said in a press release the proposed amendments to the zoning code cover an array of different policies designed “to better facilitate small residential developments that are already generally allowed.”
“The biggest problem in the city is housing and the lack of affordable housing, ” District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan told The Daily Cardinal.
With the population of Madison expected to grow to 385,000 people by 2050, the zoning change aims to be “forward looking” and “planning for the future,” Govindarajan said.
“It’s making sure people don’t get priced out of their current homes, but also that there are more homes in the future,” he said.
The city has made the student housing market a priority over the past two years, Govindarajan said, referring to measures such as the city’s change to the zoning code targeted at creating more affordable student housing last fall. The new changes are mainly targeted towards the regular rental market and the home ownership market, and Govindarajan said that students will also see benefits.
“Students used to compete with other students to get housing,” Govindarajan said, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been increasingly competing with recent college graduates with greater incomes. By helping create and expand housing around the downtown area, the market can be freed up for students, he said.
The changes “would let community members take into their own hand the ability to create more housing,” Govindarajan said, while further conversations about what direction the city should go in are had.
“Housing is a big problem that the entire city is facing and we have to solve it in multiple different ways,” he said.
The Common Council is expected to vote on the proposed amendment at their meeting next Tuesday. Govindarajan is optimistic that the changes will pass, having heard no major opposition, but he is “sure there is going to be a big fight.”
