Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Amending Section 33.24(15)(e)12.b. related to Upper-Level Development Standards of the Madison General Ordinances to clarify how stories are measured in Urban Design District 8. (Alder District 6)
Body
DRAFTER’S ANALYSIS: Urban Design District (UDD) 8 was adopted to implement the East Washington Avenue Capitol Gateway Corridor Plan. It includes relatively prescriptive standards related to various design elements, including building height. This proposed amendment clarifies how stories are measured as it relates to certain structured parking designs that would have limited visibility from East Washington Avenue. The proposed amendment only impacts a portion of the UDD 8, the portion that is in District 6 (Block 2b).
Floor-to-ceiling heights for structured parking are typically less than that of other habitable building floors. Three levels of structured parking are typically shorter than three levels of residential or office uses. UDD 8 currently includes measurements in terms of stories and feet, though it does not currently make a distinction based on the type of floor. Under the proposed amendment, internal structured parking that is screened and not be visible from East Washington would not count as an additional story. However, the underlying height in feet would not change. UDD 8 currently allows for a maximum 14-story building, if findings could be made to grant the necessary bonus stories. While the building appears to be a 14-story building from East Washington Avenue and the building would be below the maximum allowable height, it is considered 15 stories under the different methodology utilized in the Zoning Code based on a calculation of the parking levels.
***********************************************************************************
The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Subparagraph b. of paragraph 12. entitled “Upper Level Development Standards” of Subdivision (e) entitled “Basis for Design Review” of Subsection (15) entitled “Urban Design District No. 8” of Section 33.24 entitled “Urban Design Commission” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended as follows:
“b. Bonus stories may be allowed as follows:
i. Two (2) bonus stories on Blocks 2c, 3b, 4b, 12b, 13b, 14a, 14b, 15, 16, 17c, and 18c.
ii. Three (3) bonus stories on Blocks 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b, 12a, and 13a, and a third bonus story on up to ten percent (10%) of the area of Block 4b.
iii. Four (4) bonus stories on up to fifteen percent (15%) of the area of Block 3b.
iv. Four (4) bonus stories are allowed on Block 2b by meeting the requirements of Sec. 33.24(e)(12)c. An additional two (2) stories, not to exceed six (6) total, can be provided if the applicant provides a combination of at least one item from c.(i) and at least three (3) items from c(ii). Total stories are determined as those being visibly distinct stories when viewed from the East Washington Avenue façade. If partial parking level(s) do not appear as a separate story from East Washington Avenue and are recessed from the East Washington façade along a substantial portion of the building length, it shall not count as a separate story for the purposes of determining compliance with the UDD 8 story height requirements. The total measured building height in feet shall not exceed the heights allowed in 33.24(e)3. A maximum measured height of up to 171 feet is permitted for a 14-story building.