CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council passed the Connected Communities zoning overhaul 6-3 Wednesday afternoon. The legislation is now set to become law.
The plan is aimed at increasing housing supply near business districts and along major bus routes. The goal is to cut red tape so developers can build more "middle housing," units like duplexes, townhomes and small mixed-use apartment buildings.
The plan could change neighborhoods over time should developers choose to build. Nothing will happen overnight.
However, local developers will soon get the wheels turning for ideas on new housing projects.
Kai Lewars, founder of Kaiker Development + Construction, said the legislation will be beneficial for a small, local developer.
“It’s really in the details,” he said. “We're fortunate enough to be in the details and see how this can benefit all communities from affordable to market-rate housing.”
Under zoning law prior to Connected Communities, the process for zoning reviews and site visits took months. Time is money.
The new plan “cuts a lot of the red tape, and a lot of the funding necessary to cut through the red tape,” Lewars said.
The changes won’t just benefit private developers. Community Development Corporations will find it easier to build too.
“When you have funding deadlines, relative to your capital stack, it can really cause a huge delay and actually reduce the amount of housing stock available,” Lewars said.
Mary Huttlinger, director of government affairs for the REALTOR® Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, said zoning reforms like Connected Communities tend to have a “pretty immediate impact.”
She said the alliance has been studying what happened in other cities that have undergone zoning reforms. In three to five years, they have seen a 15-23% in housing inventory, she said.
Increased inventory would be welcome news to buyers in a tight market.
“The more options that they have, obviously, the closer they can get to what they really want,” she said.
That hasn’t been the reality the past few years, said Tracy Dunne, president of REALTOR® Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.
“Our job growth has been good in Cincinnati, but our housing inventory has not followed that,” Dunne said. “In general, we're seeing more inventory for higher income earners. When we get to the lower, more affordable housing inventory, we are struggling to find opportunities for homeowners.”
Dunne said she hopes the changes will change the zoning timeline “drastically” to allow more mom-and-pop builders to start projects.
The new legislation will expedite Lewars’ company’s ability to bring housing stock online quicker and faster.
“It can be fruitful for all, no matter where you're at in the spectrum of community development,” said Lewars.
