Newark council hears wide-ranging options to address affordable housing shortage

City of Newark planning staff and the city manager presented a multi-pronged review of options to address the city’s affordable housing shortage during the July 21 council meeting, with public commenters and several council members urging firm action on inclusionary zoning and other tools.

Planning and Development Director Renee Benzley told the council the staff outreach process included roughly 15 events and about 115 unique participants and that the Delaware State Housing Needs Assessment shows Newark has a shortage of about 2,098 affordable units for households earning 0–50% of area median income (AMI). Benzley outlined two broad policy buckets — regulatory code changes and financial/resource incentives — and said staff were seeking council direction on which ideas to study further.

The presentation reviewed a range of options: mandatory or voluntary inclusionary zoning (for example, a hypothetical 10% set‑aside on developments larger than 10 units targeted at households below 80% of AMI), “missing middle” and gentle-density zoning to allow duplexes and townhomes in single‑family areas, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), lower or eliminated minimum parking requirements, expedited review and fee reductions for projects meeting affordable‑housing metrics, use of city‑owned parcels for housing, an affordable housing trust fund, emergency rental assistance, and revival or expansion of city homebuyer gap‑financing programs.

“Staff is not recommending a single path tonight,” Benzley said. “We want feedback on what you would like us to investigate further, including which regulatory decisions and which financial tools to pursue in the ordinance process.”

City Manager Coleman framed the choices around the limits of what local government can do and the city's need to engage the private market. He highlighted that Newark currently has only small shares of land zoned for multifamily or mixed‑use housing and said development review costs and discretionary approvals add roughly $40,000–$50,000 per lot in some cases. Coleman urged council to consider shifting discretionary, location‑and‑design approvals earlier in the review process so developers can see whether a concept is viable before large engineering costs are incurred.

Several members of the public urged mandatory inclusionary zoning. “If developers want to cash in on college‑town housing, they can’t just build somewhere else to avoid the ordinance,” said Joanna Bosnak, a non‑student renter, adding that mandatory rules, not voluntary incentives, are likelier to produce units. Tom Parkins, who volunteers with homeless outreach, said Newark needs “teeth” in policy to create housing for people experiencing homelessness.

Council members debated trade‑offs. Some members urged caution about sweeping code changes that could have unintended consequences in established residential neighborhoods or be exploited as student housing; others favored tools to speed project delivery, broaden the pool of smaller local developers, and expand homeownership assistance. Councilwoman Ford emphasized enforcement of rental standards and said changes should preserve neighborhood character; other council members asked staff to return with narrower proposals council could prioritize.

Benzley and Coleman said next steps will be administrative: staff will incorporate council feedback into the city’s prioritization process and return with staff‑level research on specific options (for example, nexus studies for an inclusionary ordinance, financial models for a housing trust fund, and proposals for targeted rezoning or form‑based code changes).

Council did not vote on new policy tonight; members were asked to submit their priority items to the city manager ahead of a scheduled prioritization discussion.

Ending: Staff materials and appendices referenced in the meeting packet include the outreach summary, literature reviews (American Planning Association and Delaware Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook), and the Delaware State Housing Needs Assessment. Council requested additional scope and cost information for several of the staff proposals before any ordinance drafting begins.