Category: Zoning
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NIMBY or YIMBY? Here’s Where People Stand on Rezoning for More Housing.
The United States sorely needs to make homes affordable for more people. Millions of households are financially fenced out from acquiring their own deeds. Local and state policy makers are under pressure to allow higher density in residential neighborhoods, in order to ease the housing shortage that takes a particular toll on working people,…
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Zoning It Up: “Downtowns Have to Evolve”
Since the pandemic unfolded, one of the most-used keywords for the way we live is flexibility. Now, towns across the United States are asking if the old, rigid approach to zoning meets our evolving needs. Take Seattle. There, the City Council has just decided to let condo and rental towers replace a string of struggling…
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Home Ownership, Zoning, and Variances
You have big plans for your home. You might have a native garden in mind. Or your plans might involve putting a little cottage in back of the main house. Maybe it’s a solar system you want. Or maybe it’s a simple, rustic fence. Perhaps you’re keen to start a home-based business, or offer space…
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Houston: The Zoning-Free City. Right?
Some interesting real estate law news has come from Texas. In 2021 the Texas Supreme Court said Houston may regulate some development, without breaking the city’s unusual no-zoning rule. Wait. Houston has a no-zoning rule? And the state’s high court is endorsing ways to regulate around it? Let’s see what’s going on here.