At a meeting of the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen’s Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee, members advanced Board Bill 42, a zoning change that would reduce minimum lot-size requirements in multiple residential districts and ease construction of single-family and two-family housing on smaller parcels.

Proponents said the change would revive many vacant lots that have been undevelopable under the city’s long-standing 4,000-square-foot-per-unit minimum and reduce time and cost associated with variance requests. “Board Bill 42 is a board bill that I am particularly excited about,” Alderman Cone said as he introduced the measure. Miriam Keller of the St. Louis City Planning Department explained that “minimum lot size is the main approach we have in our existing zoning code to regulating residential density.”

The bill would change the post-1950 minimum lot-area requirement from 4,000 square feet per unit to 2,000 square feet per unit in A through E residential districts for single-family homes. For two-family homes, the per-unit minimum would drop from 2,500 square feet to 1,250 square feet, meaning a 2,500-square-foot lot could support a two-family dwelling under the proposed standard. Keller noted that lots of record created before the code’s effective date (1950) remain grandfathered under current law.

Casey Milberg, policy director in the mayor’s office, told the committee the administration supports the bill and that the change could reduce the number of variance applications the planning staff must process. “This is a change that will also reduce the amount of variance requests that our planning folks will have to consider,” Milberg said. Evan Winkler of the zoning section added that two existing overlay districts already provide flexibility where minimum-lot rules do not apply and that the bill would extend flexibility citywide.

Planning staff presented mapping and lot-size analyses to the committee showing many vacant parcels and existing lots in St. Louis in the 2,000–4,000 square-foot range. Staff said lowering the minimums would bring a larger share of those parcels back into regular development paths without special approvals. The Planning Commission reviewed and recommended the reforms; staff told the committee the change has been discussed across multiple administrations.

A resident caller, Enrique Riojas, testified in support, saying the measure would help reduce vacancy and aid recovery from recent tornado damage. Several committee members expressed support and asked to be added as cosponsors during discussion. The committee recorded a motion to advance the bill with a “due pass” recommendation and a call for previous roll; there were no objections reported during the vote in committee.

The committee’s action is a committee-level recommendation; the bill now proceeds according to the Board of Aldermen’s legislative schedule for further consideration. Planning staff encouraged residents to follow the zoning overhaul process and apply for a community advisory committee to participate in ongoing work.