Housing shortage drives Madison city council approval of new projects

Facing a citywide housing crisis, the Madison city council voted Tuesday night to approve four major housing developments during a marathon meeting lasting nearly eight hours.

Projects approved include an apartment complex on Old Sauk Road, an apartment and hotel proposal near the Capitol, a “tiny village” proposal aiming to house homeless people and a mixed-use proposal on currently unused farmland on the city’s east side. 

The proposals add housing in areas developers say were underutilized. And they come as Madison, Wisconsin’s fastest growing city, confronts an ongoing housing shortage, referenced throughout the night by alders in their remarks. The city’s annual rent increases are among the highest in the nation...