Discussing the Downtown Building Height Limit

Some of you have already heard about the push to increase the building height limits in the downtown area. Unsurprisingly, this is an attempt to address a part of the housing crisis -- specifically regarding student housing. There have been some misleading statements made as well, the most damaging of which is that the building height limits around the Capitol Building are meant to be increased. This is false.

Background
This idea came up as the City prepares to go an Interim Update for the Comprehensive Plan. This is a process where individuals and groups can propose amendments to the Generalized Future Land Use map (Interactive Map), which would then be considered by the Plan Commission, with recommendations made by staff. There were a total of 81 proposed amendments, of which 7 were recommended for approval, and 7 were recommended for discussion. Much of the discussion that I have been apart of are regarding several amendments by the Regent Street area, Out of the 26 total amendments surrounding the Regent Street area, very few were recommended by Staff. Plan Commission members later moved to include these amendments for further discussion, not approval.

The Proposed Changes
I've attached a map of the proposed changes that I have been advocating for above. Through this, you can see that if these amendments passed, they would not block the view of the Capitol Building. In fact, from the immediate off-campus area, you already can not see the Capitol Building - but allowing taller residential buildings might allow you to do so from the top floors. If these amendments were passed, it would allow developers to build more housing units which are dense and student-orientated. it is up to City Council to ensure that these is some sort of affordability aspect to these potential buildings, because many students still require affordable housing. Further, the height limits placed on buildings close to the Capitol Building are State Law. Meaning, the City of Madison alone would not be able to increase building height limits surrounding the Capitol Building, even if we wanted to.

Where Are We Now?
Currently, none of these proposed amendments have been approved. There are some that have higher chances of approval than others, specifically the ones on Regent Street directly. The area currently shaded in green (from 6 & 8 stories to 10) may require more work to get passed. This is an area that currently has fairly low-rise housing options, with no more than 4 stories. There are only two rather small buildings in that entire area which are at or above 8 stories. If in the future, the Plan Commission were to approve these amendments, then it would encourage developers to redevelop this area and provide more housing units. 

Why Increase Height Here Specifically?
As mentioned before, in the entire green-shaded region, there are 2 buildings that are at or above eight-stories tall (excluding dorms). Almost every other residence is at or below 5 stories. One large reason has to do with State Building Codes. For example, a building between 1-5 stories only requires to be a wooden structure for the most part. However, soon as you build 6 stories or taller, a developer needs to use concrete and steel frames for the entirety of the building -- again, because of state law and building codes. This creates an additional cost of building that does not self-fund the building until you get to about 10-12 stories. Which is why throughout the City (and state), you'll see many buildings between 4-5 stories, a large missing gap between 6-9 stories, and another increase of buildings from 10-12+ stories. By increasing the height limit to a minimum of 10 stories in this majority-residence area, the City will essentially allow developers to build and abide by state building codes. 

Main Take Away(s):

1. This does not affect the view of the Capitol Building. I am not, and do not plan on proposing increasing building heights close to the Capitol Building. My proposals are within my district only.
2. Allowing for the height restrictions (within District 8), would incentivize developers to build more housing units, hopefully orientated towards students. Addressing the Student Housing Crisis helps address the overall City Housing Crisis as well.
3. Student Housing is the City's problem. The mindset that the University can deal with students is no longer plausible (and has never been). The 50,000 students at UW are also residents of the City, pay taxes, spend money at local stores, etc. The City has an obligation to also consider their concerns and needs.

I hope this clarified some concerns out there, but if not I encourage you to reach out to me by email at district8@cityofmadison.com.