Cities rethink zoning amid housing affordability pressures

Communities are weighing how to expand housing while managing affordability, development impacts and neighborhood character. In Oak Park, a proposed zoning-code revision would exempt buildings with fewer than seven units from design standards, prompting concern that new construction may not protect residents or produce affordable housing. Alexandria’s zoning reforms allow up to four units in some areas previously limited to one or two, and a planned forum will consider their effects on affordability, neighborhoods and residents’ influence. In Bloomington, residents described permitting delays and rising development costs, while others warned that redevelopment is replacing modest homes with larger, more expensive rentals; further zoning changes are under consideration. A St. Louis construction forum is exploring panelized homes as a possible response to the city’s affordable-housing shortage, while a Halton National Housing Day event will bring housing providers, policymakers and residents together to discuss collaborative local solutions.