Three Years of Inclusionary Zoning Nets More Affordable Housing, Multi-Family Development in Atlanta

The city of Atlanta has completed an initial evaluation of the city's Inclusionary Zoning program, instituted at the beginning of 2018.

Pamela Miller reports on the details of the report, noting that the city's Inclusionary Zoning program " was created to create more affordable housing for low-and-moderate income residents in Atlanta."

"As of December 2020, there were 362 dedicated affordable units in some stage of development in compliance with the Inclusionary Zoning program," reports Miller of the report's findings.

Previous experiences in other cities cautions against going so far with Inclusionary Zoning requirements that developments are no longer financially viable. Atlanta seems to have avoided that consequence, however. "The report also shows that overall multifamily development in the Inclusionary Zoning area continued to grow, despite the new affordability requirements of the program." Georgia State Professor Dan Immergluck tweeted the evidence that the city's Inclusionary Zoning program has not quelled multi-family development.

ATL adopted inclusionary zoning around BeltLine 1/2018. (*after* 6-yr apartment boom).

Developers argued IZ killed apartment building, likely to preempt suggestions to expand citywide.

I was skeptical, esp since IZ was not strong.

New data: Definitely didn't kill market. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/BypBE5POqf

— Dan Immergluck (@DanImmergluck) February 9, 2021

"Inclusionary Zoning ties the production of market-rate housing to dedicated affordable housing, and in Atlanta, the IZ program requires that a percentage of new multifamily units developed in areas around the Beltline and Westside neighborhoods are rented at affordably," according to Miller's geographically specific explanation of the program.

An article by Anthony Flint, published in February 2019, provides an authoritative explanation of Inclusionary Zoning and its growing popularity as an affordable housing tool in U.S. cities.

Since adopting Inclusionary Zoning in the parts of the city, Atlanta has ramped up its affordable housing efforts with the various components of the "One Atlanta Housing Affordability Action Plan," which commits to protecting or creating 20,000 affordable housing units in the city.