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City planning commission advancing three zoning code amendments aimed at affordable housing tools
Summary
City planning staff updated the Regional Housing Authority on three zoning-code efforts — inclusionary zoning within large PUDs, incentive zoning for small infill developments and an annexation policy — intended to improve the city’s leverage to secure affordable housing from developers.
City planning staff told the Regional Housing Authority they are drafting three zoning-code amendments that would create tools the city can use to secure or incentivize affordable housing from developers.
The proposals under development, the planner said, include: inclusionary requirements for planned-unit developments of six acres or larger (for example, Rail Yard Phase 3); incentive zoning for small infill developments of roughly three to 10 units (developers would receive increased density or height in exchange for a portion of units being deed restricted); and an annexation policy that would identify public benefits — such as deed-restricted housing — the city would seek in exchange for annexation approval.
"Passing them allows us to actually enforce them when we don't have something in the books for that," a city planner said, describing the changes as giving the city ‘‘teeth’’ to hold developers to commitments made during project approvals. The planning and zoning commission planned a work session next Wednesday to continue drafting the ordinances.
City staff framed the three-part approach as calibrated by development scale: larger developments could carry stronger inclusionary requirements while smaller infill projects would be guided by incentive mechanisms; annexation policy would define benefits the city requires when absorbing new land parcels.
The planner said these regulations tend to target for-sale units at higher area median incomes (AMIs) while rental affordability strategies typically target lower AMIs; staff emphasized the amendments are intended to increase accountability for commitments developers make during approvals and to avoid future shortfalls between promises and delivered affordable units.
The planning commission work session was set for next week to continue drafting the proposed ordinances for the council’s consideration.
