Planning Commission hears housing, infrastructure presentation outlining 20,000–40,000‑unit zoning shortfall and next steps

Greg Claxton, lead for the city’s housing and infrastructure study, and Angie Hubbard, housing director, briefed the Planning Commission during a work session on preliminary findings and recommended next steps for zoning, building‑code and infrastructure changes.

Claxton said the team estimates “over the next 10 years, we estimate that the current zoning map is likely to have a shortfall of 20 to 40,000 units,” on top of roughly 70,000 units the map can already support, and emphasized that zoning complexity and infrastructure limits are central to the problem.

The study found the zoning code is complex, with multiple overlays that simultaneously allow unexpectedly large structures in some residential districts while providing limited flexibility in permitted unit counts. Claxton said that combination means neighborhoods sometimes change visibly without producing enough housing to meet overall market needs.

The report separates the issues of land‑use entitlement from infrastructure capacity. Using stormwater and curb/gutter coverage as an example, Claxton said many mid‑century suburban areas lack street‑by‑street curb, gutter and sidewalks, a pattern that makes parcel‑by‑parcel upgrades expensive and often infeasible because “the first person to come in…has to absorb that entire cost,” reducing the likelihood those projects proceed.

Claxton described two broad financing paths:…