Madison's Plan Commission debated a new draft of an ordinance Monday that has been in the works for 12 years and would establish "conservation districts" throughout the city to preserve historic housing.

According to Plan Commission Member Mark Olinger, the ordinance would recognize certain neighborhoods as "Neighborhood Conservation Districts" for their character. It would also work to conserve the physical features of the buildings for future generations, Olinger said.

"What this ordinance does is allow neighborhoods, alders [and] city staff … to determine what the boundaries and particular characteristics are [that] they want preserved and how that would affect inter-development," he said.

But some residents and city officials spoke against the plan and were not so optimistic about the proposed ordinance.

Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Incorporated, said DMI is opposed to the ordinance as it currently stands. She argued the best way to protect neighborhoods would be through the city's current Comprehensive Plan, and said another document would fail to accomplish anything new.

Schmitz also said the language of the ordinance — which does not specify which neighborhoods would be considered in the districts and does not require resident input — is too general.

"There is a lack of guidance — the ordinance is too vague in its current form," she said. "We support the general goals of this proposal, but it's just not ready."

Madison resident Gary Peterson, also a city-planning consultant, agreed the idea behind the Neighborhood Conservation Districts is not the problem. According to Peterson, the problem lies in the clarity — or lack thereof — of the ordinance, which mixes elements of both planning and zoning.

"I'm not opposed to conserving neighborhoods, but this proposal is a real problem," Peterson said.

Yet Julia Kerr, president of the Vilas Neighborhood Association, said technicalities aside, the residents themselves support the idea wholeheartedly. Kerr also said the Neighborhood Conservation Districts are different from Madison's Comprehensive Plan because they apply throughout the city, not just in the downtown area.

While the ordinance was debated heavily, Kerr said there are working models of similar conservation districts in other cities. If drafted correctly, she added, the ordinance may even benefit developers.

"Residents feel really strongly the ordinance will contribute to the quality of the neighborhoods," she said.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, also noted the plan would eventually help developers and realtors. It would increase the predictability of neighborhoods so people will actually put down money for more housing projects, he argued.

Verveer also said the establishment of Neighborhood Conservation Districts would not be abused, a concern brought up by several committee members and Madison residents. Though resident input is not called for in the ordinance itself, he said, the process would be shared by both the neighborhood itself and its respective alderman.

"I believe this ordinance is much needed," Verveer said. "I am absolutely very excited about this — it's 12 years in the making."

The commission did not come to a final decision on the ordinance, and it was referred to the Dec. 4 meeting without a deciding vote.