COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR - TRANSITIONAL DISTRICT.
Madison General Ordinances § 28.067
in effect28.067 - COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR - TRANSITIONAL DISTRICT.
(1) Statement of Purpose.
The CC-T District is established to recognize the many commercial corridors within the City that remain largely auto-oriented, and to encourage their transformation into mixed-use corridors that are equally conducive to pedestrian, bicycle, transit and motor vehicle activity. The district is also intended to:
(a) Improve the quality of landscaping, site design and urban design along these corridors.
(b) Maintain the viability of existing residential uses located along predominantly commercial corridors.
(c) Encourage appropriate transitions between higher-intensity uses along commercial corridors and adjacent lower-density residential districts.
(d) Facilitate preservation development or redevelopment consistent with the adopted goals, objectives, policies, and recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan and of adopted neighborhood, corridor or special area plans.
(e) Structured parking is encouraged.
(2) Permitted and Conditional Uses.
(a) See Table 28D-2 for a complete list of allowed uses within the mixed-use and commercial districts.
(3) Dimensional Requirements.
Requirements represent minimums unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are in feet unless otherwise noted.
Commercial Corridor - Transitional District
Front yard setback | 0' or 5' 0' if the distance between the curb and property line is equal to or greater than 15'. A no-build easement may be used to achieve the 15' distance. 5' if the distance between the curb and property line is less than 15'. See (a) below
Street side yard setback | 0' or 5' 0' if the distance between the curb and property line is equal to or greater than 15' or shown on the Setback Exceptions Map. A no-build easement may be used to achieve the 15' distance. 5' if the distance between the curb and property line is less than 15'. See (a) below and Downtown Setback Map and Setback Exceptions Map.
Side yard setback: Where buildings abut residentially-zoned lots at side lot line | Minimum side yard required in the adjacent residential district
Side yard setback (for exclusive residential use) | 10
Side yard setback: Other cases | 0
Rear yard setback | The lesser of 20% of lot depth or 20 feet
Rear yard setback: For corner lots, where all abutting property is in a nonresidential zoning district | The required rear yard setback shall be the same as the required side yard setback
Rear yard setback if rear property line adjacent to a lot or right-of-way with a publicly-owned multi-use path within 100' | 5
Lot area (for exclusive residential use) | 500 sq. ft./unit
Maximum lot coverage | 85%
Maximum height | 5 stories/78 See (d) below
(a) Front Yard Setback. The following setbacks shall apply to zoning lots with one principal building. When more than one principal building is developed on a zoning lot, additional buildings shall be exempt from the front yard setback requirement if approved and constructed concurrently with or after a building or buildings that comply with the front yard setback requirements below and occupy thirty percent (30%) of each street frontage on the zoning lot. Front yard setbacks on the zoning map may also be designated as a specific location (build-to-line) or as a range. (Am. by ORD-20-00017, 2-13-20)
1. A minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the street-facing building wall shall be set back no more than twenty-five (25) feet. (Am. by ORD-20-00017, 2-13-20)
[image omitted; see the official code]
Figure D13: Maximum Setback Illustration, Option 1
2. If there is no on-street parking in front of the lot, a building may be setback of up to sixty-five (65) feet from the front property line, provided that at least seventy percent (70%) of the street-facing building wall is setback no more than sixty-five (65) feet. This setback shall allow for one (1) drive aisle and up to one (1) row of surface parking between the building and the street. (Am. by ORD-24-00018, 3-20-24)
3. Alternatively, if there is no on-street parking in front of the lot, the following greater setbacks can be allowed if approved as a conditional use:
a. A building may be setback of up to eighty-five (85) feet provided that at least seventy percent (70%) of the street-facing building wall is setback no more than eighty-five (85) feet. This setback shall allow for one (1) drive aisle and up to two (2) rows of surface parking between the building and the street. (Am. by ORD-24-00018, 3-20-24)
b. If traffic circulation, drainage and or other site design issues are shown to require additional space, the setback may be extended to a maximum of one hundred (100) feet.
[image omitted; see the official code]
(b) (Rep. by ORD-17-00054, 6-19-17)
(c) Rear or Side Yard Height Transition to Residential Districts. Where the CCT District abuts a residential district at the rear or side lot line, building height at the rear or side yard setback line shall not exceed the maximum height in feet allowed in the abutting district as a permitted use. From this point, building height may increase at a ratio of one foot of rise to one foot of horizontal distance away from the property line, (a 45° angle) up to the maximum allowed height. Transitions exceeding this height and/or ratio limitation require conditional use approval. (See Figure D12) (Am. by ORD-14-00131, 8-13-14; Am. by ORD-25-00067, 10-16-25)
[image omitted; see the official code]
Figure D12: Rear or Side Yard Height Transition
(d) Additional Height. Heights exceeding the maximum may be allowed with conditional use approval.
(4) Site Standards. The following standards are applicable to new buildings and additions exceeding fifty percent (50%) of original building's floor area.
(a) Buildings shall be oriented to the primary abutting street or to an internal street, court, walkway, plaza, or multi-use path.
(b) All building facades visible from a public street or public walkway shall employ materials and design features similar to or complementary to those of the front facade.
(c) For the Single-Family Attached, Small Multi-Family, Large Multi-Family and Courtyard Multi-Family Building Forms, parking shall not be located between any street and the plane of the principal building's corresponding street-facing facade.
(d) Surface parking shall be divided into separate modules no greater in size than one hundred (100) spaces; modules shall be separated by buildings, landscaped open space areas, internal streets or landscaped pedestrian pathways at least twenty (20) feet in width.
(e) Except as allowed in Section (3)(a)2. and 3. above, surface parking abutting the primary street frontage shall be limited to fifty percent (50%) of the total lot frontage, except that for the Single-Family Attached, Small Multi-Family, Large Multi-Family and Courtyard Multi-Family Building Forms, if located on the side of the building, surface or structured parking shall occupy no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the frontage along the primary abutting street. For Large Multi-Family Buildings, structured parking at ground level shall not be visible on the front facade of the building.
(5) Site Standards: New and Existing Development.
(a) All business, servicing or processing shall be conducted within completely enclosed buildings, except:
1. Off-street parking and off-street loading.
2. Outdoor display and outdoor storage.
3. Outdoor eating, cooking, and service areas associated with food and beverage establishments. (Am. by ORD-13-00178, 10-23-13)
4. Bicycle-sharing facilities.
5. Auto service stations.
6. Drive-through windows. (Am. by ORD-24-00033, 6-3-24)
7. Walk-up service windows.
8. Solar energy systems and wind energy systems.
9. Cemeteries.
10. Yard sales.
11. Vending machines.
12. Composting.
13. Outdoor recreation.
14. Keeping of chickens and keeping of honeybees.
15. Vacuuming and cleaning at car washes. (Cr. by ORD-21-00021, 3-15-21)
(Am. by ORD-13-00007, 1-15-13; ORD-17-00054, 6-19-17; Am. by ORD-21-00028, 3-30-21, Eff. 4-9-21; Am. by ORD-21-00044, 6-14-21; Am. by ORD-25-00011, 3-8-25; Am. by ORD-26-00001, 1-23-26) (Am. by ORD-13-00127, 7-26-13) (Am. by ORD-25-00067, 10-16-25) (Am. by ORD-24-00018, 3-20-24)
Source: City of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison General Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/wi/madison/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORMAWIVOIICH20--31_CH28ZOCOOR_SUBCHAPTER_28DMIECODI_28.067COCORADIFetched: 11/1/2026