Why Madison’s housing gatekeepers are getting uncomfortable

In a recent column, Paul Fanlund, publisher of The Capital Times, laments the city of Madison’s push for increased housing density as yet another overreach by elected officials “quietly” changing the rules without proper deference to longtime homeowners. It’s not his first time criticizing the city’s evolving housing policy — and not the first time he’s doing so from the vantage point of Hill Farms, one of the most historically exclusionary neighborhoods in Madison.

Framing resistance to housing reform as concern for “public trust” or “zoning protections” reflects a longstanding rhetorical tradition in Madison — one that dresses exclusion in the language of procedural integrity. These arguments are not new; they have circulated for more than a century, most often from those who benefit most from regulatory systems designed to safeguard comfort and property values while obstructing broader inclusion...