Inclusionary Zoning
Inclusionary zoning requires developers to make a percentage of housing units in new residential developments available to low- and moderate-income households. In return, developers receive non-monetary compensation - in the form of density bonuses, zoning variances, and/or expedited permits - that reduce construction costs. By linking the production of affordable housing to private market development, inclusionary zoning expands the supply of affordable housing while dispersing affordable units throughout a city or county to broaden opportunity and foster mixed-income communities.
For decades, zoning has been a highly effective tool of exclusion. Though originally justified as a tool for separating incompatible land uses (like housing and polluting factories), zoning's most profound effect has been to segregate communities by income and race. Suburban jurisdictions in particular have used zoning powers to require minimum lot sizes, minimum home sizes and prohibitions on apartment buildings that make it next-to-impossible to build affordable housing in these communities. The result is a consistent, national pattern of large-lot, single-family-home enclaves that are off-limits to moderate, low- and very-low income families. As consequence, lower income families are cut off from strong schools, emerging job centers, and opportunity networks.
Inclusionary zoning reverses this trend by turning zoning into a tool for promoting mixed-income communities. Inclusionary zoning also allows innovative communities to counter declining public-sector investment in affordable housing, create housing for their workforce, and enable low- and moderate-income families to benefit from urban reinvestment.
Enacted by local jurisdictions, inclusionary zoning policies produce affordable housing by requiring housing developers to include a fixed percentage of their housing affordable to low and moderate income households when creating new housing either through new construction or condominium conversion.
Various ways to craft program requirements:
- Onsite or offsite
- Donation of Land
- Pooling resources with another developer
- In-lieu fees
- Sale and rental unit
When thinking about implementing such an ordinance, it is important to first collaborate with the community and educate them about the benefits of inclusionary zoning for affordable housing in their community. Especially important is to collaborate with the local housing developers and the local building/contractors association.
Fannie Mae Foundation
Click here to view the "Easing the Affordability Crunch: The Inclusionary Housing Option" or visit,
http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hff/v8i1-index.shtml
Policy Link
www.policylink.org and Click on fair distribution of affordable housing
Pratt Center for Community Development
www.prattcenter.net
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.huduser.org/rbc/pdf/Inclusionary_Zoning_Slideshow.pdf
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
http://www.nonprofithousing.org/ Click on Action Center, Tool Box, Policy Brief
Policy Link
http://www.policylink.org/Projects/IZ/default.html
The following website, a service of the Kulshan Community Land Trust, contains numerous valuable resources about inclusionary zoning.
http://inclusivehousing.info/newsroom/index.htm |
