Metro planning presents housing infrastructure study and unified housing strategy to Human Relations Commission

Metro Planning staff presented the Housing & Infrastructure Study and the Unified Housing Strategy to the Metro Human Relations Commission on a July afternoon, outlining recommended building-code and zoning changes, a public engagement schedule and an infrastructure assessment that planning expects to complete in fall 2025.

The presentation framed the work as a multi-phase effort to increase housing supply and affordability. "As this study has evolved, the project team has started to think about it in four big phases," said Katie Kimesis, Metro Planning staff, summarizing the study's timeline from technical analysis to rezoning and a two-year post-implementation assessment. Travis Miller, also with Metro Planning, described the Unified Housing Strategy as "a call to collective action" and said it is intended to be "a living strategy that will be responsive to market conditions."

The study recommends a mix of short- and medium-term changes to the zoning and building codes. Key technical proposals discussed include changes to the International Building Code that would allow single-stair buildings higher than current limits (the presentation noted a pending IBC adoption process), creation of two new zoning districts called "residential neighborhood" and "residential limited" intended to allow so-called middle-housing types (townhomes, quadplexes, small courtyard…