Impact of Zoning on Affordable Housing February 16, 2018 Department of Neighborhood Development Services Impact of Zoning on Affordable Housing February 16, 2018

What is Zoning? “It’s easy to ignore zoning. It isn’t the sexy kind of planning that involves parks and public art. But it overwhelmingly shapes how our cities develop.” – Nolan Gray 

What is Zoning? Zoning is the regulation of the use of land.

History of Zoning Euclid, OH v. Ambler Realty - Zoning is an acceptable use of the police power. The term “Euclidean Zoning” comes from this case.

History of Zoning The police power is government’s ability to regulate activities in order to safeguard the health, safety and general welfare of the community.

Zoning Typically Regulates Type of Use Height Setbacks (Required Yards) Parking Requirements Landscaping Lighting

Zoning Impacts on Housing Minimum Lot Sizes Frontage/Setbacks Use Restrictions Parking Requirements

Minimum Lot Sizes Limits on the minimum size of lots reduces the number of overall units on a parcel.

Minimum Lot Sizes The City limits new residential lots to at least 6,000 square feet in size. Some areas of the City have pre-existing lots smaller than 4,000 square feet.

Frontage/Setbacks Constrain the dimensions of new lots and the buildable area within those lots.

Frontage/Setbacks The City requires new lots have a minimum of 50 feet of frontage on a public street. This restricts large, deep lots from having more than one unit.

Frontage/Setbacks

Frontage/Setbacks Dimensional requirements limit building size to more expensive forms.

Zoning Impacts on Housing

Use Restrictions Even when the land is available for “missing-middle” housing types, zoning may prohibit those types.

Use Restrictions 55% of the zoned land by area in the City is restricted to single-family detached type housing. R-1, R-1S, R-1U, and R-1SU

Density Restrictions Residential density limitations can push developers to build larger units that rent for higher prices.

Density Restrictions Hypothetical $5,000,000 building: $125,000/unit for 40 1BR units $500,000/unit for 10 4 BR units Same number of beds, but the 40 unit building is 4 time the density.

Parking Requirements Parking minimums can increase the cost per unit. Above ground: >$15,000/space Below ground: >$25,000/space

Parking Requirements The cost of building parking is rolled into the cost/rent of a unit, which residents pay for regardless of their transportation choices.

What is Zoning? “It’s easy to ignore zoning. It isn’t the sexy kind of planning that involves parks and public art. But it overwhelmingly shapes how our cities develop.” – Nolan Gray  From an article that, in part, describes a zoning change in Lexington, KY that eliminated minimum parking requirements in a redevelopment area.

In Conclusion Supply and Demand Limited amount of land, and zoning controls how much additional supply you can add, and how much it will cost.

Questions?

Contact Information Brian Haluska, AICP (434)-970-3186 haluska@charlottesville.org