City of Cleveland Piloting Project to Improve Outdated Zoning Practices

[M II A II R II K]

City of Cleveland Piloting Project to Improve Outdated Zoning Practices for More Walkable Neighborhoods


Feb 17, 2020

By Homa Bash



Read More: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...-neighborhoods

Website: https://thelandcode.com/

The city of Cleveland is piloting a project to move toward “form-based coding” to update the city's zoning practices. Retail and restaurants and housing, all mixed together. But according to Cleveland city officials, our current code makes most of those kinds of buildings illegal. It does it by requiring larger lots, large setbacks, big parking lots and low residential density. That’s why the city is piloting a project to move toward “form-based zoning” or "form-based coding."

- It is currently being tested in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. In a few months, neighborhoods in the Opportunity Corridor and Hough will also be piloting the project with residential input. “The ultimate goal is to make sure our neighborhoods and our city are competitive,” said Freddy Collier, Director of Cleveland City Planning Commission. --- “With form based zoning, we really start to focus on our commercial corridors as a place of emphasis and the residential fabric that exists in many of our neighborhoods, that will remain intact,” Collier said. Form-based zoning deals with changing the way buildings are built — and where they are built in relation to the streets.

- By doing so, the city will be updated current zoning practices and code that was developed back in 1929. “And obviously living conditions have evolved since then and development trends have evolved,” Collier said. He points to areas like West 25th Street in Ohio City as an ideal area where walkability, retail, restaurants, and housing all meet. --- Currently, getting building permits in Cleveland can take longer than other nearby cities in the region and around the state, according to city officials. --- It just makes better buildings buildable faster and by-right. so people who want to build new houses in Cleveland can do it quicker, and people who want to come in and do apartment buildings where it is appropriate, or mixed-used development where it’s appropriate.

- Still, some residents in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood are concerned about too much development. Julia Van Wagenen and her family moved into the area from Ohio City to find a more neighborhood-feel with single-family homes. “I just really hope the new code enhances the quality of life for the people who already live here and doesn’t just give a green light to developers to put in a bunch of luxury townhomes and that kind of thing,” Van Wagenen said. --- But, she is looking forward to potentially more walkability and pedestrian friendly-access. “On Detroit and Lake Ave., there's many vacancies so it would be nice if there were coffee shops, restaurants, places to take children,” Van Wagenen said.

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These photos indicate the way the intersection at West 75th Street and Detroit Avenue used to look back in the early 1920s.

[kingkirbythe....]

Good for Cleveland.

[ssiguy]

A great move for Cleveland and a very progressive one. Not only will this improve walkability and a sense of community within vital neighbourhoods but will be a draw for people allowing other declining areas to further their decline and that is a GOOD thing.

Many cities will NEVER see their glory days return and for places like Cleveland the very most they can hope for is a stabilized population. Of the hundreds of cities and towns in the US that are facing a similar situation, the successful ones will be the one's that plan for population decline and make the best of what they've got...……...taking lemons and making lemonade. In general politicians hate this but it is very forward thinking urban planning. It makes the most of the infrastructure you have and allows for a few vibrant concentrated communities instead of dozens of decaying, disconnected, crime ridden, and unappealing ones.

Contrary to what many people believe, shrinking cities can become more livable and vibrant as they shrink if the urban planning is in place. Cleveland in particular is in an excellent position for this as the city's economy is still quite strong, it excels in health, education, and the arts, has good transit infrastructure, many nice inner city areas, tons of character, some great older architecture, and a relatively vibrant and attractive downtown.

This notion that city's become more vibrant as they grow is a fallacy and the opposite is also true.

[mhays]

You don't need a form-based code to mix uses. It sounds like they're changing the code method and actual goals of the codes as well. That's good. The article snippet makes it sound like the dark ages currently.

Agreed, ssiguy, that conentrating growth can create good districts even before an overall area starts growing, or growing much.