By Anita Weier
Northside News
The City of Madison has allowed Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) — which can be attached as additional living space in an existing building such as a garage, attic or basement, or detached as a separate structure on the same lot — since 2012. But only 32 have been built due to restrictions that limited the option to owner-occupied, single-family property.
In May, however, the Madison Common Council approved a change allowing ADUs to be built on a lot that already contains a building with up to eight dwelling units. The Council also removed a requirement that the property owner live on the property. The goal of the change is to allow modest increases in housing density while creating more housing options to help resolve Madison’s housing shortages, officials said.
District 18 Alder Charles Myadze proposed the ordinance amendment after he was contacted with the idea by longtime Northside resident and realtor Michael Leeson. Other residents had also requested more access to ADUs. Myadze presented Leeson with a Civic Recognition Award for developing innovative solutions to Madison’s housing crisis.
“Creativity can help restore the American dream of home ownership,” Leeson said.
“We are at a crossroads in this city,” said District 12 Alder Amani Latimer Burris, who attended a recent celebratory session about the ordinance at the offices of the Northside Planning Council on Aberg Avenue. “We are at a point where two people earning $70,000 each cannot afford to buy a house,” Burris said. “We need good, affordable housing,” Myadze added.
Leeson suggested that Madison must branch into multi-generational housing. “We suffer from the curse of living in a desirable place,” Leeson said. “The Northside is the most affordable area in the city, but we need more options.”
The City previously loosened requirements to allow ADUs as a permitted use on single-family properties, meaning the homeowner did not need to get conditional use approval from the City to create an ADU. And in 2023, the City allowed ADUs in owner-occupied. single- or two-family property in a Transit Oriented Development Overlay District, which encouraged higher housing density along high-frequency public transit routes. The most recent change is expected to increase such developments.
