Housing prices are the product of a number of factors, including project costs, which are directly influenced by city policies. While fees have the most clear direct financial impact on housing development, overly restrictive or confusing zoning and code can also influence affordability, particularly when trying to encourage more innovative uses. This can happen by simply discouraging construction of pioneering housing types, or through delays which result in project cost increases that are passed on in the form of higher rents and home costs. Along with matching housing to needs, minimizing development barriers forms the foundation for housing affordability – while it does not alone ensure that housing will be affordable, it is a necessary minimum condition. In this section, we will explore how to accurately balance the full costs and benefits of development regulation to encourage development while preventing negative externalities.
Assessing Needs and Performance in this Area
- Assessor’s data on value and condition
- Percent of application reviews completed on time
- Surveys of permit center customers/development community
- Comparison of housing developed with uses allowed by zoning (Extent to which development is meeting City intentions)
General Resources
- City of Portland: Infill Design Toolkit
- MRSC: Infill Development: Completing the Community Fabric
- PSRC: Infill Development
- City of Everett: Potential Residential Infill Measures
Tools for this Area
- Fee Waivers and Reductions
- Flexible Development Regulations
- Form-Based Zoning
- Manufactured Homes (including modular construction)
- Multifamily Tax Exemption
- Regulatory Streamlining
- Upzones/Rezones