Eric Murphy
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The draft Northeast Area Plan recommends denser two- to five-story residential buildings in the area of East Springs Drive, like this one going up next to Bowl-A-Vard.
West-side discontent over a new city planning effort is now having ripple effects on the other side of town. City planners decided not to recommend rezoning in any residential areas in their draft of the Northeast Area Plan, released May 21.
“Because of some discussion about proactive rezoning from the West Area team, we decided to do the same kind of approach,” says city of Madson planner Angela Puerta. “After [West Area] residents’ initial reaction, the Northeast Area Plan team decided to withdraw all recommended proactive rezoning areas that were at residential parcels.”
Under proactive rezoning, city planners change the zoning of a site to better align with how the land is expected to be used in the future. This would allow a site, for instance, to host more dense housing or a change from residential to commercial use. Without it, developers have to apply and be approved for a zoning change in order to build something other than what is allowed under current zoning.
Dan McAuliffe, a planner who worked on the Northeast Area Plan, says the goal of proactive rezoning is to make the “approval processes for the type of development that’s envisioned by the plan a little simpler. We’re not trying to push anybody out, we’re trying to make the transition easier in the future.”
Pushback to the west-side draft plan prompted city planners to remove rezoning proposals in the Highlands neighborhood and near the intersection of Regent Street and Whitney Way. The West Area Plan and Northeast Area Plan are the first two of 12 area plans being created under the city’s new planning framework and will be updated every 10 years.
Eight areas in the northeast plan are now recommended for proactive rezoning. Three areas could be rezoned to strictly commercial or industrial uses to discourage or prevent residential uses: near the Highway 151/I 39-90-94 interchange, due to potential noise pollution from the highway, and two areas along Stoughton Road near the planned permanent men’s shelter on Bartillon Drive.
The plan also recommends the retail area along Lien Road in front of the Target parking lot be proactively rezoned to allow housing in future redevelopment rather than strictly commercial uses.
Two areas along Commercial Avenue east of Thompson Drive, home to a pair of churches, are recommended to be proactively rezoned to facilitate neighborhood mixed-use and office redevelopment.
The plan also envisions small areas along East Washington Avenue near the intersections of Highway 30 and Lexington Avenue being proactively rezoned to allow mixed-use redevelopment in the future.
McAuliffe says even with proactive rezoning developers will still need to seek other permits to proceed with a project. “In some of these larger development processes, it likely involves a demolition permit and a subdivision and a conditional use. You’re not necessarily simplifying a development process that has all those components,” he says. Those approvals are often pursued simultaneously.
The Northeast Area Plan includes the Dane County Regional Airport, and Dane County can veto any zoning changes within three miles of the airport. Madison’s city council can overrule that veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
More density still encouraged
While residential areas won’t be rezoned, the plan does encourage more density in residential areas on the west side of Thompson Drive and around Portage Road across from Reindahl Park.
“We are proposing some land use changes from low residential to low-medium residential because we would like to see more townhomes being built — that first starter home,” says Puerta. Those areas are “very close to amenities,” including transit and parks,“so people don’t have to own a car to live here.”
Low-medium residential areas are intended for “missing middle” housing, according to the plan. Low residential areas can allow up to 30 dwelling units per acre and three-story buildings in certain conditions, while low-medium residential areas can allow up to 70 dwelling units per acre and four-story buildings.
Incorporating much of the Greater East Towne Area plan, denser housing and mixed use developments will also be allowed near the current East Towne Mall, and especially near new bus rapid transit stops along East Washington Avenue. Buildings of up to 10 stories, the maximum allowed under the airport’s building height limits, are envisioned along East Washington Avenue between Parkside Drive and High Crossing Boulevard. Two- to five-story residential buildings would be allowed on the backside of the mall area, along East Springs Drive and near Starkweather Creek.
As many as 12,000 new housing units could fit in the East Towne area if redevelopment happens, according to the plan’s recommendations. But Puerta points out those changes will happen “only if and when property owners decide to redevelop.”
On the north side of East Washington Avenue, the plan calls for eventually vacating the frontage road in favor of mixed-use redevelopments to make the area more friendly to pedestrians.
“We’re trying to think about the transformation of East Washington in the East Towne area, where it’s kind of like a highway, to something more like on the isthmus,” says McAuliffe. “It’s still a busy street, but you wouldn’t mind sitting outside and having dinner or meeting a friend for coffee and sitting outside. The transformation of that place is a pretty big goal of ours.”
Planners will incorporate feedback gathered at virtual public meetings May 28 and 29 and in-person open houses at Reindahl Park May 29 and Sycamore Park May 30. They hope to introduce the plan to the city council July 2. There will be the opportunity for additional public comment and revisions as the plan is reviewed by the council and other committees.
