Fiscal Note
No CIty appropriation required.
Title
Amending the Supplemental Regulations for ‘Places of Worship’ in Section 28.151 of the Madison General Ordinances related to their vehicular access requirements.
Body
DRAFTER’S ANALYSIS: This proposed code change amends the Supplemental Regulations (MGO Sec. 28.151) for “Places of Worship” to include a minimum seating capacity size for the sanctuary or main activity area of a new facility in order for it to be required to have vehicular access to a collector or higher classification street.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Section 28.151 entitled “Applicability” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended by amending therein the following:
Place of Worship.
(a) A facility established after the effective date of this ordinance with seating capacity of greater than six hundred (600) persons in the sanctuary or main activity area and within a predominantly residential or mixed-use area shall have vehicular access to a collector or higher classification street.
(b) Any facility with seating capacity of greater than six hundred (600) persons in the sanctuary or main activity area shall be a conditional use. Such facility shall be located with vehicular access to a collector or higher classification street.
(c) Where the use is conditional, an appropriate transition area between the use and adjacent property may be required, using landscaping, screening, and other site improvements consistent with the character of the neighborhood.
Editor’s Note-
Title: Amending the definition of Supplemental Regulations for ‘Place Places of Worship’ in Section 28.151 of the Madison General Ordinances related to their vehicular access requirements.
Drafter’s Analysis: This proposed code change amends the Supplemental Regulations (MGO Sec. 28.151) for “Places of Worship” to include a minimum seating capacity size for the sanctuary or main activity area of a new facility in order for it to be required to have vehicular access to a collector or higher classification street. Newly built places of worship within a predominantly residential or mixed-use areas are required to have vehicular access to a collector or higher classification street. The intent was to limit potential traffic impacts from a place of worship. However, staff has found that this prevents redevelopments which include smaller of places of worship when their current site does not have frontage on a collector or higher classified street.
Changing this provision so that it only applies to places of worship with a seating capacity of greater than 600 persons in the sanctuary or main activity area will allow development that includes smaller places of worship on local classified streets while maintaining the vehicular access requirement on places of worship which could have more significant traffic impacts.