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Old Posted May 15, 2020, 6:54 PM
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Restrictive Zoning Blocks Many From Opportunities That Cities Offer

Now Is the Time to Embrace Density


May 12, 2020

By Carol Galante

Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/o...ronavirus.html

Quote:
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An important step is simply to permit more housing in more locations. We should put an end to zoning policies that restrict building to single-family homes and stop mandating that lots meet large minimum-size requirements, leading to sprawling, sparsely populated neighborhoods. Ending such restrictive zoning doesn’t have to lead to the construction of towering apartment buildings. Rather, we should encourage cities to permit more homes on existing single-family lots, allow apartments in retail districts and near transit, and dedicate excess or underused public property like surface parking lots in downtowns to new housing. All of this can be done without materially changing the look, feel and experience of a place.

- The second important step is to reduce the cost and uncertainty of getting a housing project built. It often takes years to get permission to build. Local government processes often allow multiple “bites at the apple” of public comment and hearings for a plan. Sometimes, even when there is a vote to approve a project, a neighbor or special interest can sue to stop the approval, resulting in further significant delay. These delays add cost and risk, driving up the price of new homes and sometimes stopping projects in their tracks entirely. --- Some cities are already making positive moves. Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia, led the way on allowing small cottages in the yards of single-family homes. California has followed suit, adding homes by letting homeowners build accessory dwelling units. Oregon and Minneapolis have new rules permitting multiple smaller homes on lots with an existing single-family home. Los Angeles developed a Transit Oriented Communities plan that reduced parking requirements, leading to over 20,000 new apartments, 21 percent of them affordable housing.

- These types of actions, which can be taken now, will lay the groundwork for a broad and shared prosperity. When denser housing is allowed, workers can live closer to their jobs, help save the planet by driving less and pay less in rent or mortgage payments because a bigger housing supply will lead to lower costs. Research shows that children tend to be more successful in neighborhoods with access to high-quality schools. In restricting building, more-affluent Americans are shutting lower-income families off from economic opportunity. --- Now is an especially good time to reduce restrictions and allow for denser housing. Construction is hit hard during recessions, and opening up more building opportunities would be a stimulus for the industry, and it doesn’t require any extra funding. This would get workers back to work, provide safe and affordable living for those hard hit by this pandemic and get property taxes and other revenue flowing back to local governments for the services communities need. It would be a win for everyone.

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Old Posted May 15, 2020, 11:00 PM
llamaorama llamaorama is online now
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I think this article espouses a fairly popular opinion around here. But just to be contrarian:

A total absence or prohibition on single family zoning usually only leads to unambiguously positive outcomes in desirable, centrally located neighborhoods where street topology and established land use patterns already reflect good urbanism. In borderline neighborhoods the lack of zoning can allow blight to enter the community. This encourages flight from the middle ring to the suburbs, depriving the city of tax revenue and further decentralizing employment concentrations thus making transit less viable. HOA's and deed restricted communities proliferate in the absence of zoning, these are more restrictive and more exclusionary than municipal zoning could ever be.
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