Zoning as a Barrier to Multifamily Housing Development

Does your code prevent the development of often-affordable multifamily housing? This report examines the relationships between zoning and housing in six metropolitan areas. Using census and GIS data, the authors found indicators of zoning regulations and housing market performance in Boston; Miami-Dade County; Minneapolis-St.Paul; Portland; Sacramento; and Washington, D.C. They evaluated state statutes and regional and local plans in each metropolitan. The result is documentary evidence that exclusionary zoning is a significant barrier to higher-density, multifamily housing, which is often—but not always—more affordable than single-family housing. The new GIS approach the authors used clearly illuminated the impact of regulatory barriers on housing affordability. A CD-ROM included with the report includes detailed information on research methodology and data sources and summarizes the literature and public-policy document review undertaken by the authors.