MORGAN COUNTY
The Madison City Council ignored a recommendation to deny a zoning change from R1 (Large Lot Residential) to R4 (Small Lot Residential) passed along by the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission for the Sept. 12 public hearing before the council.
Habitat for Humanity had presented the request to P&Z in order to build a second home on a property located at 1180 Wheat St., near Canaan Crossing. One home is already under construction on the eastern portion of the property and Habitat sought to split the lot and build another on the western side by splitting the .5-acre lot into two .25-acre lots.
Avery Jackson spoke against the zoning change at the P&Z meeting, according to city documents, and said it would be an excessive concentration of housing. P&Z ‘s vote to recommend denial was a unanimous vote (3-0).
According to city documents, the property was annexed into the city in 2020 and zoned R1 since that was the closest analog to Morgan County’s Medium Density Residential zoning designation.
City Councilman Eric Joyce pointed out the lots on the other side of March Street along Wheat Street were approximate .25-acre tracts.
Hiram Johnston, who has supervised the construction of several Habitat for Humanity homes in Madison over the last several years, said the houses would be approximately 1,100 square feet with plenty of room in the front, rear and both sides for family activities. The market value of the homes would be from $125,000 to $145,000 and likely would increase in value as the homes built on Whitehall Street have. The increases will enhance the city’s tax base, Johnston said.
Johnston said low-interest loans Habitat secures would mean payments would be less than $600 per month.
Becky Thompson, president of Habitat for Humanity, said the homeowners who have been selected for the homes were in attendance.
“Statistics tell us that children learn better when they are in a better environment and a better home,” Mayor Fred Perriman said. “I think all of us know the work Habitat does in our community, and the houses they are building now are very nice homes.
This is really going to be an improvement for the neighborhood and the betterment of the families who receive these homes.
I think it says a lot about this group of people who are trying to make life better for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a home.”
City Councilor Betsy Wagenhauser expressed concerns about spot zoning and called attention to a situation in Clark’s Chapel area where a similar zoning change was requested and turned down.
City documents indicate that Madison’s Comprehensive Plan encourages a variety of housing, and Habitat provides workforce housing, which is one of the central issues the city has tried to address. It is also part of the Urban Renewal Area and in line with the Urban Renewal Plan.
The city tabled a series of amendments to its zoning ordinance that would have created new language concerning regulations for personal care homes.
Critics of the proposals said the language was imprecise and could create a situation where “we are going to have this transitional housing in strictly residential neighborhoods with populations that have very high incidences of drug and alcohol use,” according to local resident Celia Murray.