Streamlined categories, clearer and more predictable processes and moves to promote affordable housing are among the Chamber-backed measures approved as part of the city’s zoning update Aug. 21.
The action is the culmination of an 18-month process to bring the city’s zoning regulations in line with the community’s vision for the city as laid out in the General Plan. (If that sentence leaves you scratching your head, check out our handy city planning primer.)
As the city dug into the issues, so did a Chamber task force that spent countless hours studying potential impacts and recommending action. The work paid off, with the adoption of several updates key to making rules easier to understand, encourage a more livable downtown and allow more homes for more kinds of people.
Among those updates:
- Streamlining confusing and redundant land-use categories so that businesses can more quickly understand where they can operate
- Setting minimum densities in some residential areas to maximize the use of small and large parcels as we aim to promote create additional and more affordable-by-design housing
- Modernizing parking requirements to reflect the rise of ride-sharing and electric vehicles and promote bicycle use
- Simplifying and clarifying the development review process
See the city’s report on all the zoning changes here. And thanks to our hard-working task force members and others who lent their voices to the debate, and stay tuned as we continue to advocate for a city we’re proud to call home.