REDUCING BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH ZONING Tareq Wafaie, AICP WEBINAR FOR COMMUNITY BUILDERS JANUARY 25, 2017
COLORADO TRENDS 2015 added 102,000 people; only 25,143 new homes Rents going down; home prices on the rise 2016 2/3 of population growth is net migration (1/3 births outweighing deaths) Job growth Expecting 64,000 new jobs in 2017 Sources: Denver Post, Denver Business Journal
COMMON ZONING BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING Districts and uses Dimensional standards Development and design standards Approval procedures
LET S TALK ABOUT: DISTRICTS AND USES
INCREASE RESIDENTIAL DENSITIES IN SOME COMMERCIAL AREAS Follow the future land use plan Refine district purpose statements Update dimensional tables Update the zoning map
MAKE MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT EASY Establish mixeduse zoning districts Allow mix of uses by right Limit use-specific standards
MIXED-USE ZONING Considerations: Follow the plan! Example contexts Neighborhood Corridor-specific Core/downtown Regional Dimensional standards Design standards Uses
DIVERSIFY
THE USE TABLE Ask Yourself Why Not in this Zoning District?
DEFINITIONS ARE KEY Single-family attached dwelling Two or more single-family dwelling units, each with its own outside entrance, which are joined together by a common party wall or connecting permanent structures such as breezeways, carports or garages, and are on adjoining individual lots. Multifamily dwelling A building on one lot containing three or more dwelling units arranged either side by side or one above the other.
ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS Considerations: Where they are allowed Only single-family detached? Duplexes? Size requirements (maximums and minimums) Location on a lot Order of construction Design standards Ownership and occupancy
CO-HOUSING Considerations: Where they are allowed Minimum project size Shared open space Dwelling unit separation Maintenance and operation Ownership Source: bettercities.net
LET S TALK ABOUT: DIMENSIONS
LOT REQUIREMENTS
SETBACKS AND HEIGHT
SETBACKS AND HEIGHT
LET S TALK ABOUT: DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
RELAX SUBDIVISION STANDARDS Cottage/co-housing Smaller lots (but not too many) Focus on access, connectivity, and open space Administrative approvals
REDUCE PARKING STANDARDS Less parking = more dwelling units Low- and fixedincome often own fewer cars and drive less Tie to transit locations Shared parking for mixed-use development
REDUCE LANDSCAPING REQUIREMENTS Don t give away the farm focus on quality common areas Allow alternatives in some cases Tie to community priorities (e.g., City Council said that affordable housing is number one issue)
LET S TALK ABOUT: PROCEDURES
It takes forever to get anything approved. - Every developer, everywhere, all the time
WHO DECIDES? Some Metro Denver area municipalities with administrative site plan approvals: Arvada Boulder Centennial Englewood Golden Lakewood Littleton Longmont Thornton Westminster Wheat Ridge
BE FLEXIBLE Consider allowing adjustments to dimensional standards without a variance Start small (5-10%) Be judicious - adjustments should not become the new norm
DON T FORGET PUDS Define approval thresholds for minor vs. major amendments Correlate thresholds to administrative adjustment thresholds Allow staff to approve minor amendments
SOME PARTING THOUGHTS Be prepared for NIMBYs and BANANAs If development is difficult, then affordable housing development will be even more difficult Affordable housing shouldn t equate to lower quality Cheapest units aren t necessarily affordable units Connect affordable housing strategies to other community priorities
THANK YOU TAREQ WAFAIE, AICP twafaie@clarionassociates.com 303.830.2890 ext. 32