Madison Zoning Code Ch. 28 offers density bonuses, height bonuses, and parking reductions to projects committing affordable units, supporting the Imagine Madison plan and complying with state inclusionary-zoning limits set by Wisconsin Act 26.
Within designated districts and overlays, developers can earn additional dwelling units, height, or floor-area ratio in exchange for income-restricted apartments, family-sized units, or proximity to Bus Rapid Transit stations. Wisconsin Act 26 of 2017 prohibits mandatory inclusionary zoning, so Madison structures these as voluntary bonuses recorded in conditional-use approvals. The Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development administers reviews with the Community Development Division for affordability monitoring. Layered with low-income housing tax credits and the Affordable Housing Fund, the bonus program targets transit corridors. Compliance covenants run for thirty years or longer and are recorded against the property.
Failure to maintain restricted units triggers covenant enforcement, repayment of city subsidies, and possible revocation of the conditional-use approval through the Plan Commission.
Madison, WI
Madison's Bus Rapid Transit lines, launched in 2024, anchor station-area planning that allows higher density, reduced parking, and mixed-use development with...
Madison, WI
Madison's Zoning Code, Chapter 28 of the General Ordinances, establishes base districts and overlays, while adopted neighborhood and corridor plans guide rez...
See how Madison's density bonus law rules stack up against other locations.
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