Update

Ordained by a final vote of 8-1, with Councillor Zusy being the sole no vote.

Overview

The Multi-Family Zoning petition presents zoning amendments to end “exclusionary zoning” by allowing the construction of multi-family housing city wide. All residential zones would be merged into a single zone and be subject to the same requirements and restrictions. In this new zone, 4 stories would be allowed as of right with an additional 2 for Inclusionary Projects.

Multi-Family Zoning Documents and Meeting History from the CDD.

Final Vote

The final vote to ordain this petition will be at the regular City Council meeting on Feb. 10th, 2025. The petition has two parts, so there will be two votes. Part one, which encompasses all of the changes below, can pass by a simple majority. Part two requires a super majority of 6 out of 9 councillors. Ultimately, the council can ordain this petition, reject it, or not vote at all and let the petition expire.

Current Zoning

Currently there are 12 residential zones that fall into one of three major types: single family A zones, two-family/duplex B zones, or multi-family C zones. C zones also include institutional uses such has universities. Multi-family homes can be as small as a triple decker or as large as a several story apartment building. Each zone also has restrictions on building height, size, footprint, and set-backs from the plot line. A type zones are the most restrictive with C type zones being the least.

Proposed Zoning

The proposed zoning changes aim to allow types of residential buildings and homes across the city as well as, “promote equity and consistency,” by using the same restrictions across all neighborhoods. To accomplish this, single and two family zones would be eliminated by converting A and B zones to C-1, which is the most common multi-family zone. Further, the requirements of C-1 would be changed to be more permissive of larger buildings to promote the construction of more housing. In brief these changes would:

• Remove minimum lot sizes
• Regulate based solely on open space and stories above grade instead of building size (FAR – floor to area ratio) and density (lot area per unit)
• Allow up to 4 stories as of right
• Allow 6 stories total for Inclusionary Projects
• Allow 9 stories total for AHO Affordable Projects
• Require a lot of 5,000 square feet for buildings taller than 4 stories
• Reduce lot line setback requirements to 10-feet in the front and 5-feet on the side and rear, excluding town houses
• Reduce or remove special permit requirements
• For buildings over 3 stories, require community notification and feedback, although any feedback would be non-binding
• Require 30% open space

Commercial buildings would still be subject to traditional regulation based on FAR.

Mixed Use Districts

Currently, in business districts such as Inman Square, commercial buildings have stricter limits than purely residential buildings. The proposed zoning changes would promote these neighborhoods to be used use, allowing commercial buildings to use residential height allowances for the purpose of building more housing.