The city’s new rules allow for more flexibility in housing development, but other market forces could limit production.
Salt Lake City passed a set of zoning reforms dubbed the Affordable Housing Incentives program, which could open the door to more affordable housing construction in the city that, like many others, is struggling to meet demand.
According to Sean Higgins of KUER, the new rules permit quadplexes in all residential zones, with the potential for another one to three-story addition in some areas, reduce parking requirements, and make changes that streamline the planning process. Projects will still have to comply with setbacks, building heights, and other building requirements.
As in other cities, the changes appear sweeping but will likely only affect a small percentage of properties due to the cost of construction and other considerations. “In the end, whether the incentives succeed in their intended goal of creating more affordable housing largely depends on the will of homebuilders.”
FULL STORY: Salt Lake City is getting new residential zoning rules. Will they make a difference?
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association