Combined with the recent decision to eliminate parking minimums, the move to end single-family zoning could help make housing more affordable.
Months after ending minimum parking requirements, the city of Austin voted to eliminate single-family zoning and allow up to three homes on each residential lot, reports Austin Sanders in The Austin Chronicle. “Property owners will also be able to install tiny homes on their property and owners of older homes will be able to utilize new bonuses designed to incentivize the preservation of existing homes that meet certain criteria.”
The new rule, called Home Options for Middle-Income Empowerment (HOME), doesn’t apply in the city’s Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts (NCCD). Recognizing the new housing arrangements prompted in part by the high cost of housing, it also eliminates rules about unrelated housemates, legalizing increasingly popular co-living arrangements. Sanders notes that “Property owners will also be limited by private deed restrictions and homeowners associations that limit the number of homes built on a single lot.”
FULL STORY: After Long Day of Testimony, Council Votes to End Single-Family Zoning
Portland, Maine Embraces Zoning Reform for Multifamily Housing
The Portland City Council amended the land use code to allow up to four units on all residential lots on the mainland, and up to three on island lots. It also eliminated parking requirements for these uses.
Vancouver Poised to Increase Residential Zoning
The city council will vote on a proposal to eliminate single-family only zoning in favor of rules that would allow up to six units per residential lot.
Zoning Reform Proposed in Austin
Proposed changes would create more room for mid-density housing and shift away from single-family homes on large lots.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service