This article was originally published on ReZone, now part of Shovels. ReZone AI tracks real estate-related city decisions nationwide.
Welcome to In the Zone’s second weekly update. Here’s what piqued our interest this week:
- STR Zoning Rule Changes in Columbia, Missouri and Wellington, Florida
Faced with the growth of short-term rentals (STRs) in single-family neighborhoods, two cities passed updated legislation governing those sub-30 day rentals. Wellington, town just west of West Palm Beach, established a fairly light-touch framework governing those rentals. Columbia, on the other hand, took a heavier-handed approach with higher taxes and limitations.
Why it matters: The expansion on vacation rental homes in historically single-family neighborhoods has been controversial in many places. Cities have taken a variety of public policy responses, from banning STRs outright to putting in a monitor-and-tax regulatory framework. Columbia and Wellington’s responses reflect two different approaches to addressing STR problem.
- Zoning Overhaul | Norwalk, Connecticut
The city of Norwalk, Connecticut—an hour or so outside New York City—passed a major zoning overhaul this week which goes into effect on February 19th, 2024. The overhaul revised flood restrictions and increased sustainability requirements while expanding the downtown mixed-use zone. Parking requirements in the urban core were also removed. An initial proposal to more aggressively roll back single-family zoning was removed after community pushback.
Why it matters: While parking requirements were rolled back and mixed-use development potential expanded, Norwalk decided against a more ambitious reworking of its zoning plan. City officials have noted that conversations are still ongoing and further amendments may be proposed.
- Transit Corridor Rezoning | Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor is rezoning 45 parcels to the newly created TC-1 (“Transit Corridor”) zone, which was “created to facilitate, encourage, and support redevelopment and infill development to realize mixed use developments and achieve mixed use corridors.” Specifically, it’s designed to encourage the replacement of low-rise developments with deep setbacks—think strip malls—with mixed-use communities with street frontage.
Why it matters: This is the second week in a row featuring an effective upzoning in Ann Arbor, one of the most active markets in implementing zoning reform in the US today.