Charleston Considering Form Based Zoning

"Charleston City Council is poised to take a historic step in coming weeks when it votes on changes to the City's zoning ordinance. If the new ordinance passes, Charleston will be on the road to reforming the land-use practices that have shaped the local landscape for the last 50 years. In its place the ordinance substitutes a new system known as form-based zoning. The new ordinance would allow the creation of dense, multi-use, pedestrian-oriented communities at strategic sites throughout the city. The new zoning plan's backers hope that such 'villages' will help reduce traffic, conserve rural land, and create focal points for community life in the city's more suburban neighborhoods."