Madison Zoning Panel Approves Regulatory Overhaul, Eyes June Middle Housing Hearing

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of May 7, 2026

Madison Planning and Zoning unanimously approved a zoning regulation reorganization and pressed ahead on a middle housing ordinance facing a July 1 state deadline. The commission voted unanimously to approve Application 26-9, a structural overhaul that migrates the town's zoning rules into a single searchable online document without substantive changes, effective June 1, 2026. Consultant Mike D'Amato of Taiki opened the middle housing discussion with an unwelcome update: a legislative bill that would have extended the state's deadline for adopting summary-review rules for two- to nine-unit residential and mixed-use developments to June 2027 failed in the legislature the previous night.

D'Amato estimated that only about 10 of the 90 towns served by the four regional Councils of Governments he surveyed have produced draft regulations, putting Madison in the top tier. Town Planner Erin Mannix said the commission's goal is a public hearing on the middle housing ordinance at its June 18 meeting, leaving just days of margin before the July 1 deadline. The commission also unanimously approved two Section 8-24 consistency findings for state-funded pedestrian projects on Scotland Avenue and along Boston Post Road, Britain Lane, and West Wharf Road, including a long-anticipated sidewalk connection along the west-side golf course.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,089 words

Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of May 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

MADISON — May 7, 2026 — The Madison Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a reorganization of the town's existing zoning regulations and moved closer to adopting a new middle housing ordinance ahead of a July 1 state deadline at its Thursday evening meeting.

The commission voted unanimously to approve Application 26-9, a text amendment that restructures the existing zoning regulations into a single searchable, hyperlinked online document without changing any substantive content. The approval carries an effective date of June 1, 2026. Commission Chair Carol Snow said the reorganization sets the foundation for a forthcoming comprehensive regulatory overhaul aligned with state law and the town's Plan of Conservation and Development.

The Full Story

The bulk of the two-hour meeting was devoted to a detailed working session on a proposed middle housing ordinance that Madison must adopt by July 1, 2026, under a state mandate requiring all Connecticut municipalities to allow two- to nine-unit residential or mixed-use developments on commercially zoned land through a streamlined, non-discretionary summary review process — without public hearings, special permits, or variances.

Mike D'Amato, a consultant with Taiki who has been guiding the commission through the drafting process, opened the middle housing discussion with an unexpected update: a bill in the state legislature that would have extended the deadline to June 2027 failed to advance the night before the meeting.

"I had hoped that I could come here and lead off by saying the pressure is off," D'Amato said. "We have been hearing pretty confidently and consistently that they were working on some amendments in a bill that was going to push this out to June of 2027. Well, last night, that died." [00:14:43]

D'Amato told the commission that of the roughly 90 towns represented by the four regional Councils of Governments he had surveyed, only about 10 had produced draft regulations. Madison, he said, is among the few that are positioned to meet the deadline.

The commission walked through a draft ordinance that prescribes design standards, bulk requirements, parking, open space, lighting, and building materials for middle housing developments. D'Amato explained why the document is deliberately detailed: under summary review, the commission cannot hold public hearings or impose conditions the way it can on standard special permit applications, so the regulations must anticipate every relevant standard up front.

"We are trying to create a very formulaic process where we say exactly what we need to do so that we know what we're going to get," D'Amato said. "Because the only way a lot of regulations say — land statement needs to be adequate, screening shall be provided, signs shall be appropriate — what does that mean?" [00:23:35]

Discussion touched on several open questions: whether to cap bedroom counts per unit (the draft proposes a maximum of two, with members debating whether three-bedroom townhouses should be permitted); how to handle pre-existing nonconforming commercial buildings seeking conversion to residential; whether to include sidewalk installation requirements along commercial frontages; and how the ordinance interacts with the town's Downtown Village District and local historic district standards, which D'Amato said continue to apply independently.

The commission also discussed a provision that would allow applicants converting existing commercial buildings to seek a special exception from certain physical improvement requirements — potentially including green space and parking reconfiguration — in exchange for deed-restricting a unit as affordable housing.

"The idea is it could be many thousands of dollars to make some of these conversions, and maybe you decide you're willing to forgo some of those physical improvements because they're going to de-restrict a unit," D'Amato said. [01:37:44]

Town Planner Erin Mannix noted that the commission's goal is to schedule a public hearing on the middle housing ordinance at its second June meeting — June 18 — which would allow time for a Regional Planning Commission referral and review by the town's Architectural and Landscape Advisory Committee. The commission reached consensus to move toward that schedule.

The commission also voted unanimously on two resolutions under Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-24 finding that two state-funded pedestrian infrastructure projects are consistent with the town's Plan of Conservation and Development: a roadway reconstruction on Scotland Avenue that includes new stormwater drainage, road narrowing, and sidewalk installation; and pedestrian improvements on Boston Post Road, Britain Lane, and West Wharf Road, including replacement of rapid-flashing beacons at two crosswalks, extension of a sidewalk to the Greenway Trail parking lot on the east end, and a new sidewalk connection along the golf course on the west end of town.

In closing remarks, Chair Snow acknowledged the retirement of Andy Rubin, a longtime planning and zoning volunteer. Mannix noted that the town has applied for a $20,000 state historic preservation grant to inventory historic properties not yet recorded, with a decision expected in early June.

Why It Matters

Madison is among a small minority of Connecticut towns on pace to meet the July 1, 2026 state deadline requiring municipalities to allow two- to nine-unit residential or mixed-use development on commercially zoned land through summary review. The commission's target is a public hearing on June 18, leaving little margin for delay. The ordinance will govern what developers can build — and how quickly they can get approval — across the town's commercial zones. The commission has also been notified of the retirement of Andy Rubin, leaving a vacancy on the board that the commission chair said it is seeking to fill.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Application 26-9, text amendment to reorganize existing zoning regulations, effective June 1, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: 8-24 finding of consistency with the Plan of Conservation and Development — Scotland Avenue roadway improvements Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: 8-24 finding of consistency with the Plan of Conservation and Development — Boston Post Road, Britain Lane, and West Wharf Road pedestrian improvements Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Application 26-10, 397 Veron Road — Scheduled public hearing for May 21, 2026
• Action: Application 26-12, 61 Middle Beach Road West — Tabled to May 21, 2026
• Action: Application 26-13, 22 Flower Avenue — Tabled to May 21, 2026
• Action: Application 26-15, Scarnet Park Road postal site plan — Tabled to June 4, 2026
• Action: Application 26-16 — Tabled to May 21, 2026

- Vote: Approval of April 2, 2026 minutes (with correction noting D'Amato's role) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Madison's community access TV: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, May 7, 2026