Jerry Lewless’ Post

Attention Transit Oriented Development (TOD) proponents: Here is how the opposition feels about TOD. In a nutshell, it's too restricted by Land Use Designations and Zoning. #transitorienteddevelopment

Zoning and building codes go hand in had toward creating a thoughtful city that meets citizen needs. They can also lead to confusion for construction developers trying to build out infrastructure, and for citizens who find themselves with unintended consequences of growth without structure. Common misconception is that speed to growth can occur by eliminating zoning and codes. As described in Bloomberg CityLab article Unlocking the Hidden Power of Zoning, for Good or Bad: “Simply changing the number of units for that may be built on a lot is not enough to ensure housing can be built…each lot in a zoned city is subject to a variety of other rules, including minimum lot sizes, setback requirements, building height caps, maximum number of units and parking requirements. These zoning rules often do more to constrain housing than people realize.” And changes have to be understood to be helpful. Fordje has consistently heard that updates to city codes are hard to determine, for both construction developers and city planners. If developers don’t have the CORRECT codes, development will still get halted at permits and inspections. But thoughtful zoning and codes in fast growing cities are essential to shaping a livable and vibrant future. It’s ensuring people understand them and their requirements that moves the needle so zoning and codes are leveraged for growth, not stagnation. “Ultimately, zoning is a hopeful act by a community trying to shape its future growth.” #zoning #citycodes #construction #proptech #govtech

The most-read story from the previous week's Developer's Digest®, published by Bisnow, covers significant housing changes that New York City may see as Mayor Eric Adams' City of Yes plan progresses through the hearing process. The proposal, presented at a City Planning Commission hearing, aims to update zoning rules to boost housing production across all 59 districts. Key components include facilitating office-to-residential conversions, legalizing accessory dwelling units, and increasing housing density around transit hubs. While housing advocates and developers support the plan, it faces opposition from residents concerned about neighborhood character and infrastructure capacity. The proposal's passage could potentially alleviate the housing crisis by making it easier to build new homes and adapt existing structures. To read more stories like this and to stay on top of the most recent news from the development world, subscribe to our Developer’s Digest® using the link below: https://bit.ly/3Qg1qXV #digest #dsa #nyc #weknowzoning #deveopmentsites #developmentnews

Interested in using zoning to promote better land use? Check out this article describing the advocacy power of the National Zoning Atlas, which my team in the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and our partners at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley are contributing to with the California Zoning Atlas.

The most-read story from the previous week's Developer's Digest®, published by Crain's New York Business, reports The "City of Yes" deal marking the largest update to NYC's zoning code since 1961, aiming to build 80,000 homes, down from the initial goal of 100,000. Key compromises include reduced parking mandates and scaled-back provisions for accessory dwelling units. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams secured $5 billion for infrastructure and staffing improvements, ensuring the plan's passage despite resistance. While the deal is seen as pro-housing progress, it will initially complicate zoning processes for professionals. Advocates stress that further efforts are needed to meet the city's housing crisis. Full approval is anticipated on December 5. To read more stories like this and to stay on top of the most recent news from the development world, subscribe to our Developer’s Digest® using the link below: bit.ly/3Qg1qXV #digest #dsa #nyc #weknowzoning #developmentsites #developmentnews #cityofyes

New Blog Post Alert! Dive into the latest analysis by Joshua Cantong on the destabilization of American zoning. This insightful piece is the first installation of a multi-part series. It shines a light on American zoning, land-use reform, and the limits of a racially imperceptive and market-deferential stance on zoning reform. More largely, this work builds on the OBI Zoning Reform Tracker and analyzes the trends, location, and typological breakdown of the last two decades of local #zoningreform efforts nationwide. #OBIRoots Discover how local zoning reforms have taken shape across the US. https://lnkd.in/g5EjRasd

RESCON president Richard Lyall noted in an article in Storeys by Erin Nicole Davis that there is room for re-evaluation of the More Homes for Everyone Act, known as Bill 109. “The intentions of the legislation were well-meaning and the regulations have successfully focused additional attention on unreasonably long planning approvals processes,” he states. “However, realistically, development applications vary in complexity and this may impact timelines. Additionally, municipalities have focused attention on mechanisms that avoid the successful application of these timelines, notably pre-application consultations that effectively delay the commencement of the clock on the timeline requirements.” Lyall stated it’s likely more productive to encourage co-operation and modernize planning approvals processes rather than implement more punitive approaches such as rebates and penalties. #housingsupplycrisis #planning #onpoli

Appears to be an informative new tool. "By 'digitizing, demystifying and democratizing' zoning codes, the National Zoning Atlas seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of what a state’s zoning landscape looks like ..." https://lnkd.in/ea7RtfJn

#CompleteStreets is an approach to planning, designing, and building streets and communities that allow all people—regardless of age, ability, income, race, or ethnicity—to safely, comfortably, and conveniently get where they need to go, however they choose to do so. Our new resource—created in partnership with Smart Growth America and designed specifically for elected leaders, policymakers, and advocates—shares 11 steps to building a strong and equitable Complete Streets policy. Explore our Policy Action Guide here: https://lnkd.in/e7d3tFBC

The U.S. is short 3.8 million units of housing, largely due to overly strict land-use and zoning regulations imposed by cities with the most opportunities. This has both led to a significant loss of growth for the country as a whole (up to 36% according to Hsieh & Moretti), has pushed people into living in the suburbs where they emit more greenhouse gases, and has led to an astonishing 22 million renters becoming burdened by their rent. For the Federation of American Scientists, Learning Collider, Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning and National Zoning Atlas, I and Rohit Swain proposed a legislative hook to allow for comprehensive congressional action modeled after New Jersey's Mount Laurel doctrine and California's recent statewide zoning reforms. Further, we proposed executive action to modernize building codes and competitive transit grant applications to nudge cities states to increase homebuilding immediately. I encourage you to read our memo at: https://lnkd.in/eKvkkNru