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

2. 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 

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

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

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

9. 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.

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

11. 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.

12. Frontage/Setbacks

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

14. Zoning Impacts on Housing

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

16. 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

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

18. 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.

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

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. Questions?

24. Contact Information
Brian Haluska, AICP
(434)