Madison Ald. Jed Sanborn, District 1, wants the city to repeal its 20-month-old inclusionary zoning ordinance, which requires developers to set aside 15 percent of most housing projects for lower-cost housing units. The purpose of the existing policy is to promote healthy, diverse neighborhoods that offer positive lifestyle opportunities to all their members, regardless of economic class.
IZ creates opportunities for people in Madison who make an average of $35,000-$55,000 per year to live in the areas of their choice in the city, rather than only in areas that have traditionally been comprised of low-income housing. The people who will reap the benefits of this policy include teachers, nurses, clerical staff, and service workers — average citizens who will now have the opportunity to live closer to where they work and to send their kids to quality pubic schools. These families fill critical positions in our city's workforce, and expanding their options for permanent housing will help the city retain these vital workers.
IZ also has the potential to help Madison's local economy. Affordable housing near good jobs makes Madison an attractive option for qualified job seekers. It also provides an incentive for workers to stay in Madison, where they will have the guarantee of affordable living.
Many of IZ's benefits will only be obvious over the long term. Neighborhoods don't diversify overnight, and low- and moderate-income families don't pick up and move immediately after housing in a better neighborhood becomes available. In the Washington, D.C., area, where IZ ordinances have been in place longer than in Madison, the benefits of the policy are starting to become evident. New multi-unit apartment buildings and condos are being built in economically healthy areas, and included in those developments are a percentage of affordable units where low- and moderate-income families have settled. Minorities have greatly benefited from the D.C.-area ordinances, making up about 79 percent of the families living in IZ units.
Ald. Sanborn and the realtors' associations that support his repeal proposal claim that Madison's IZ ordinance is hindering city development. While I find that hard to believe based on the numerous development projects currently taking place in the downtown area alone, Ald. Sanborn's proposal to eliminate IZ entirely is hardly the proper solution.
Discussions are currently taking place at the City Council level to offer improvements on Madison's IZ law. This should be the first stop for anyone who is dissatisfied with its current form. The ordinance's effectiveness 20 months after enactment, whether positive or negative, does not change the reason it was enacted in the first place. Low- and moderate-income families absolutely should have access to affordable housing in all areas of the city. Every feasible effort to sustain the ordinance should be made before repeal is even mentioned.
Ald. Sanborn jumped the gun on this issue. The city's Plan Commission Planning Unit Director Brad Murphy has said it's too early to gauge IZ's impact. I agree. Until I can walk through downtown Madison without seeing sites like the one currently going up on the corner of West Gorham and Broom, I'm less than eager to make changes to Madison's IZ ordinance at all.
Liz Sanger ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in violin performance and English literature.
