Zoning Changes: Apartments in Single Family Neighborhoods

Small apartment buildingPhoto byDespina GalanionUnsplash

Many cities across the country are eyeing changes to their zoning requirements to allow multi-family dwellings to be built in what are currently single family home neighborhoods. The city of Minneaopolis has been a leader in the experiment. They added 12% to their housing in just 5 years, much more than other cities.

Instead of restricting duplex and triplex buildings to the same size as single family homes, they are allowing construction of mid size apartment buildings, having 20 or more units in them.

Along with this, changes to minimum off-street parking requirements would help to do away with parking lots. This plan is said to encourage walkability and reduce congestion. In theory, people don't want to walk past a bunch of parking lots to get to their destination. However, elimination of parking lots without additional on street parking causes it's own problems.

Old style downtowns offered parking in front of the stores you were going to, with time limits which prevented resident parking. Many small cities have seen their downtowns become ghost towns, however, due to rising rents and online shopping.

Planners extoll the benefits of no parking lots, less runoff, less heat trapped in summer, and re-use of the space for housing.

No parkingPhoto byChayse GriffinonUnsplash

There has been pushback, however, as most people are not going to give up their cars. Elderly people may not want to use busses or find them safe to travel on. Many cannot walk any great distance due to health issues. In reality, if you're going somewhere and you know you won't find parking, you'll probably go somewhere else.

In my opinion, planner's obsession with walkability ignores the most basic issue, people don't want to walk everywhere.