Madison Design Review Board Unanimously Approves Three Building Plans in Single Session

Town Council · Meeting of March 10, 2026

Madison's Design Review Board unanimously approved three separate building applications at its March 10 meeting. The board cleared a 30-by-48-foot, three-bay metal storage garage for the police department — a project tied to a site designated for expansion as far back as 2000 — after presenter Ben Whittaker of Madison Public Schools told the board "99% of this building is not going to be visible from the street." The board also approved a shed-roof screen-in addition over an existing patio at a Kensington townhouse and signed off on a full site and architectural plan for a new Cottage Road wood shop, retail store, and two-apartment residential building presented by architect Rick Staub, who described the front structure as a New England farmhouse vernacular with cedar siding, white trim, and a front porch. A board member raised climate-resilience concerns about sugar maple on the landscape plan, prompting the project team to substitute red maple.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 858 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of March 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

MADISON — March 10, 2026 — The Madison Design Review Board approved three separate applications at its Tuesday meeting, clearing a police department storage garage, a screened-in patio addition at a Kensington townhouse, and site and architectural plans for a new woodworking shop and retail building on Cottage Road.

The board moved briskly through all three items, taking unanimous voice votes on each and adjourning after a brief discussion of pending meeting minutes.

The Full Story

The most substantial presentation of the evening came from Ben Whittaker of Madison Public Schools, who walked the board through plans for a 30-by-48-foot, three-bay storage garage to be built behind the existing police department building on the town campus. Whittaker told the board the structure would be nearly invisible to the public, noting that mature landscaping and a berm shield the site from Main Road.

"It's important to the committee to know that 99% of this building is not going to be visible from the street. In the summer, 0% is going to be visible from the street." [00:18:37] — Ben Whittaker, Madison Public Schools

The metal building will stand just over 17 feet tall, well below the roughly 25-foot roofline of the existing police facility. Whittaker said crews plan to match a brick skirt on the base of the new structure to the existing brick detail on the police department exterior, and that the board settled on a gray exterior wall color — one of three options presented — to contrast cleanly with the adjacent building rather than attempt an imprecise color match. Lighting will consist of wall-pack units with full-cutoff fixtures. The board approved the plans as presented.

Next, a resident representing a property identified as in the Kensington development presented plans to add a shed roof over an existing 12-by-24-foot concrete patio and screen it in. Board members noted the enclosure would match the appearance of similar structures already in the complex and that the Kensington homeowners association had previously approved the project. The existing concrete floor will remain at its current elevation with no new steps. The board approved that application as well.

The final and longest presentation came from architect Rick Staub, who described a proposed new construction project on Cottage Road — a wood shop and retail store with two one-bedroom residential apartments on the second floor. The front portion of the building is designed in a New England farmhouse vernacular, with cedar wood siding stained gray, white trim and columns, a front porch, and a metal shed roof over the lower porch level. A larger metal-sided workshop building occupies the rear of the lot, partly screened from the street by the front structure and dense existing vegetation along the connector road.

"This is a standalone building. It's meant to be a wood shop and retail store with a residential component on the second floor of the retail shop. Just two small apartments above it." [00:19:10] — Rick Staub, architect

The board's landscape consultant raised concerns about the use of sugar maple on the plant list, recommending red maple as a more climate-resilient substitute given documented stress on sugar maples from rising temperatures. A board member also suggested reducing the size of a large planting bed in front of the building, arguing that the building itself is an attractive focal point and that heavy plantings would soften it unnecessarily. Staub and the project's landscape designer acknowledged both points. Parking lot lighting will consist of four pole-mounted gooseneck fixtures, screened from the connector road by intervening vegetation. The board approved the full plan as presented.

The meeting closed with a brief discussion about whether prior board action on an unspecified item — referenced in the transcript in connection with an individual named Aaron and board chair Carol Snow — had been formally voted on at a previous meeting. Members were uncertain and agreed to review past meeting videos to resolve the question before finalizing minutes.

Why It Matters

All three approvals move active projects closer to the construction phase. The police department storage garage fills a need the town designated as far back as 2000, when the site was identified for future expansion. The Cottage Road woodworking shop represents new commercial activity and housing units — two one-bedroom apartments — in a lot that is currently undeveloped and largely hidden from public view. For Kensington residents, the patio enclosure approval follows what members described as an established pattern of similar additions in that complex. The board indicated no conditions were attached to any of the three approvals.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve lighting plan for signage at 80 Fort Bradley Road Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve police department storage garage design as presented Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve shed roof and screen-in addition at Kensington property Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve site plan and architectural design for Cottage Road woodworking shop and retail building as presented Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source Madison's community access TV: Town Council (Design Review Board) meeting, March 10, 2026