South Bend commits to infill development by pre-approving a suite of residential development options.
City of South Bend / Build South Bend
The city of South Bend recently released the details of its New Neighborhood Homes Initiative, an ambitious plan first announced in June to lower development costs and build more infill housing. Included in the initiative is a set of pre-approved plans for multi-family infill housing developments. A statement announcing the launch of the “Build South Bend” program calls the pre-approved plans a “Sears Catalog” of housing options.
“Each plan has been vetted specifically for South Bend with careful consideration given to current zoning regulations, typical lot configurations, common construction techniques, and market conditions,” according to the announcement of the pre-approved plans.
The complete collection of pre-approved plans [pdf] includes small apartments, stacked duplexes, narrow houses, and carriage houses, and standard houses.
“There are many steps involved in [the City Neighborhood Initiative], but simply put, the goal is to build more homes that South Benders can afford,” reports Matt Gotsch for WNDU. City officials announced the Built South Bend program in the Near Northwest Neighborhood, where an estimated 400 vacant lots could see new development with the new city initiative.
“The policy changes will be made to the current System Development Charges (SDCs), which cover the utility’s cost of connecting new developments to water and sewer services. Under the revised policy, SDCs will not apply to infill housing of 5 or fewer units. They will also not apply to housing developments of more than 5 units if they are financed with low-income housing tax credits or are built by a non-profit,” according to a statement from South Bend Mayor James Mueller in June.
South Bend’s pre-approved housing plans expand on similar models developed recently in Seattle and Stockton to pre-approve accessory dwelling units to create incentives for that more limited form of infill development.
FULL STORY: City Neighborhood Initiative will help build homes in South Bend
Why doesn’t Denver build more ADUs? It’s complicated.
August 3, 2022 - The Denver Post
Advocates have been calling for the New York State Legislature to legalize accessory dwelling units for years. A new law would take the first step.
January 28, 2021 - New York ADU Legislation
A city of about 40,000 residents across the Puget Sound from Seattle has relaxed zoning regulations to entice more homeowners to build accessory dwelling units.
The Federal Transit Administration issued a scathing review of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s performance last week, ordering major changes at the Boston area’s transportation agency.
South Bend commits to infill development by pre-approving a suite of residential development options.
The California Legislature this week approved a historic package of bills, including a bill that allows affordable housing on commercially zoned properties and another that removes parking requirements near transit.
September 1, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle
A lack of access to public transit, scarcer law enforcement, and reduced access to nearby medical care contribute to more risky behavior and more deadly crashes on rural roads.
Are policy changes enough to address the housing problems we face?
Around the country, cities and states are starting to listen to decades-old demands to remove freeways that have displaced and fractured communities.
September 9 - CNU Public Square
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Sun City Center Community Association, Inc
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
Planning: The professional practice and academic study of the future of built and natural environments — from the smallest towns to the largest cities and everything in between.
Copyright Planetizen, Inc. © 2000 - 2022. All rights reserved.