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Transit Oriented Development Best Practices Handbook
Date Added: Friday, July 17, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
State: Not Applicable
Foreign Country
The Transit Oriented Best Practices Handbook explains Transit Oriented Development (TOD), its characteristics, its benefits, and its challenges by detailing the key planning principles behind successful TOD as well as summarizing practices for designing and implementing TOD. The document also contains an extensive list of best practice methodology and implementation techniques to assist communities in planning successful TOD...
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Parking Best Practices: A Review of Zoning Regulations and Policies in Select US and International Cities
Date Added: Friday, July 17, 2015Parking
New York
Municipal
This document is a compilation of parking regulations and policies used in various cities throughout the United States, Canada, and London. The study identified 21 policies implemented in 15 different cities that address on-street and off-street parking resources, as well as traffic congestion. A comprehensive list of definitions and examples of the parking policies are provided, in addition to case studies illustrating their implementation. Resources are provided where more information can be obtained about individual cities, as well as genera..
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Parking Code Guidance: Case Studies and Model Provisions
Date Added: Friday, July 17, 2015Parking
California
Municipal
The Parking Code Guidance: Case Studies and Model Provisions paper was written as a part of the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Smart Growth Technical Assistance: Parking Reform Campaign. Its goal is to provide guidance on identifying key issues, reforming parking standards, and on how to regulate and manage parking in a way that supports development in urban infill areas, encourages balanced multimodal access, and reduces vehicle traffic. The guidance provided is based on best practices for access and parking regul..
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Parking Management Strategies, Evaluation and Planning
Date Added: Friday, July 17, 2015Parking
State: Not Applicable
Foreign Country
This document was written as a summary to the book Parking Management Best Practices (Planners Press, 2006), which describes and evaluates more than two-dozen policies and programs that result in more efficient use of parking resources. Parking is undergoing a paradigm shift towards providing optimal parking supply and price, as opposed to the old paradigm which resulted in too much supply, and this paper details parking management strategies that are effective under the new paradigm as well as ways to implement them...
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Parking Pricing Implementation Guidelines
Date Added: Monday, July 20, 2015Parking
State: Not Applicable
Foreign Country
This paper focuses on parking pricing as a part of an integrated parking management program. It provides guidelines for municipalities to use on optimal parking prices, revenue uses and the economic impact of parking prices. Also addressed are obstacles to parking pricing and potential solutions that can be used by a municipality to implement policies efficiently. The paper also details case studies that demonstrate successful implementation of various parking pricing policies in the United States, Canada, and Europe as examples to be followed...
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Appropriate Parking Management Strategy for Successful Transit Oriented Development
Date Added: Monday, July 20, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Parking
Washington
Municipal
A major challenge to successfully implementing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is parking, specifically minimum parking requirements which produce an oversupply of parking that undermines the intended benefits of TOD. This Master’s thesis addresses the effects of parking on TOD’s success, the defects of conventional parking requirements, and specific strategies for TOD parking management, as well as providing a case study of parking in King County, Washington. Additionally, recommendations are given to assist communities in implementing park..
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Planning: Build-Out and Capacity Analysis
Date Added: Wednesday, October 7, 2015Smart Growth, Build-Out Analysis, Capacity Analysis
New Jersey
State
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions put together a Smart Growth Survival Kit that includes documents on the Environmental Resource Inventory, Affordable Housing, the Master Plan, and using Ordinances to protect local natural resources. Planning: Build-Out and Capacity Analysis is a part of the Survival Kit which details what Build-Out and Carrying Capacity are as well as the steps that must be taken in order to complete the analyses.
A Build-Out Analysis helps determine what a municipality will look like if all the vacan..
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Parking Spaces / Community Places, Finding the Balance through Smart Growth Solutions
Date Added: Wednesday, October 21, 2015Smart Growth, Parking
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
This guidebook by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency illustrates parking issues faced by municipalities and explains suggested alternatives to parking. Viewed through the lens of the impact of parking on the environment, the importance of mixed-use, walkable areas that balance parking with other environmental concerns are illustrated through case studies of cities throughout the United States that municipalities can look to for assistance with Smart Growth. ..
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Effect of Suburban Transit Oriented Developments on Residential Property Values
Date Added: Wednesday, October 21, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
Community opposition is often a barrier to implementing Transit Oriented Development (TOD). In suburban areas, residents may feel that TOD will cause noise, air pollution, increased congestion and crime into their communities. This study was completed by the Mineta Transportation Institute to determine whether TODs have a negative effect on surrounding residential neighborhoods, which is shown through lower housing prices. Studying the impact of four San Francisco Bay Area suburban TODs and the data compiled suggested that homes within 0.5 mile..
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Manual of Build-Out Analysis
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Build-Out Analysis
Massachusetts
State
The Manual of Build-Out Analysis is a detailed instruction on how to conduct a Build-Out Analysis broken down step-by-step, including a description of the data requirements, materials and techniques necessary to complete both the mapping and quantitative parts of the Analysis. The document is targeted for use by planning boards and commissions, groups concerned with growth management, and professionals in administrative and planning fields. Following the instructions set out in the Manual will result in a color-coded paper map and a numerical a..
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The High Cost of Free Parking
Date Added: Wednesday, October 28, 2015Parking
California
State
This paper identifies free parking as the fundamental problem planners face with parking, and explores the consequences associated with it. Actual monetary cost as well as raised housing costs, and reduced urban density are all evaluated in relation to minimum parking requirements. The paper also provides information on how charging for curbside parking, as an alternative to minimum parking requirements, is more beneficial...
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Parking Policy for Transit-Oriented Development: Lessons for Cities, Transit Agencies, and Developers
Date Added: Wednesday, October 28, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Parking
California
State
Parking policy is a key factor that can improve the performance of rail transit and Transit Oriented Development (TOD). This article evaluated information and insights of three studies on residential TODs, office TODs, and joint development of transit agency station parking in California. Results from the literature review showed that TOD parking supply and pricing policy are seldom structured to support transit ridership goals. The author has formulated policy recommendations for transit agencies, cities, and developers to improve parking poli..
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Manual of Best Practices for Transit-Oriented Development
Date Added: Wednesday, October 28, 2015Site Design Standards, Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Transportation & Land Use Planning, Parking
New Jersey
State
The Manual of Best Practices for Transit-Oriented Development is a guide that was developed to help New Jersey municipalities plan for high-quality transit-oriented development. The manual contains information on site design guidelines, architectural design guidelines, and parking guidelines. The standards contained in the manual are not mandatory and provide transit-supportive and pedestrian-friendly zoning text and guideline language that should be used to help municipalities structure plans and ordinances that fit their needs. ..
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Driving Urban Environments: Growth Parking Best Practices
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Smart Growth, Parking
Maryland
State
Parking is one of the biggest challenges to smart growth because it consumes large amounts of land that could be developed. Parking requirements now drive many site designs and play a crucial role in financing for new developments. Maryland conducted a study which identifies and addresses best practices for three areas of parking challenges faced by developers, which are parking management, which identifies strategies to control the supply and demand for parking, parking design, which proposes strategies that reduce the aesthetic and environmen..
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Form-Based Codes: Lessons Learned from a Mount Holly, NJ Case Study
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Zoning
New Jersey
Municipal
Form-based code merge design specifications for land development with transportation elements in order to attain the desired built environment and encourages a mix of uses and building types while emphasizing form and function. It governs building massing, streetscapes, and parking locations to promote development or redevelopment. Form-based codes were implemented in municipalities, including Mount Holly Township, throughout New Jersey as a part of the Mobility and Community Form Initiative, which is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of T..
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Planning for Transit-Friendly Land Use: A Handbook for New Jersey Communities
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Pedestrian Oriented Design (POD), Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Transportation Efficient Development, Parking
New Jersey
State
New Jersey Transit created this handbook to assist in planning more pedestrian- and transit-friendly communities. It emphasizes four strategies that can accomplish this goal: organizing land uses to support transit, emphasizing pedestrians (and other non-motorized modes of access), “taming” the automobile, and creating a sense of place and a sense of stewardship. Users are provided with a flow chart to best utilize the tools provided in the handbook, such as model ordinances, to fit the needs and accomplish the goals of individual communities i..
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Building a Transit-Friendly Community
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Parking
New Jersey
State
This report is based on key findings and conclusions from NJ Transit’s “Transit-Friendly Communities for New Jersey” pilot community program. The report takes those lessons and translates them into helpful information to guide and assist other communities’ efforts for transit-friendly development, on topics such as access, development, and parking. The process used is broken down into steps to assist other communities in getting the process started...
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Parking Lots, Where Motorists Become Pedestrians
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Parking
State: Not Applicable
N/A
In Parking Lots, Where Motorists Become Pedestrians John A. Stark aims to address physical design components of parking lots in terms of safety, environmental protection, and a shared experience between cars and pedestrians. The interactions between pedestrians and cars are often considered in terms of separating the two modes of traffic or how to make street intersections between the two safer. However, in a parking lot people drive in the middle of a pedestrian path when searching for a space and conversely, pedestrians are often forced to wa..
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Quantity versus Quality in Off-Street Parking Requirements
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Parking
State: Not Applicable
N/A
Many communities emphasize quantity over quality in off-street parking requirements and have minimum parking requirements that produce an excessive supply of parking. This article details five strategies that planners can use to improve urban design and avoid problems with parking: deregulate or limit the number of parking spaces, improve the location of parking, improve the design of surface parking, improve the design of parking structures, and improve the design of residential garages...
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Eliminating Barriers to Transit-Oriented Development
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Parking
New Jersey
State
In New Jersey, two of the main barriers to implementing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) are community concern about new development potentially causing parking problems and increased traffic and negative fiscal impacts due to increased school enrollment. In order to determine if those concerns were warranted, this report studied differences between households located within a half mile radius of ten selected rail stations in New Jersey and those located in the nearby region. This report compared auto use, auto ownership, parking use, and sch..
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How to Conduct a Build-Out Analysis
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Build-Out Analysis
New Hampshire
Regional Planning Entity
The instructions formed by the Southern NH Planning Commission detail a step-by-step process a municipality should use in conducting a Build-Out Analysis. This document contains helpful information on what a Build-Out Analysis is, what questions it can answer, and the type of community best served by conducting an Analysis. The instructions detail two stages in the process, Mapping and Interpretation which entails compiling data and creating maps to create estimates, and Quantitative Analysis which is where the information collected is quantifi..
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Guidance for Developing Watershed Implementation Plans in Illinois
Date Added: Wednesday, November 4, 2015Watershed Planning, Watershed Protection
Illinois
State
This Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) “Guidance Document” is designed to provide tools for watershed planning groups and in turn, devise a comprehensive WIP for their watershed. The guide provides for what should be in a WIP, as well as a format that will help to improve consistency among WIPs developed throughout Illinois. The Guide addresses water quality through examination of its chemical, biological, and physical/habitat integrity...
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Parking Management Strategies
Date Added: Wednesday, November 4, 2015Smart Growth, Parking
Pennsylvania
Municipal
Traditional parking policies, which generally focus on setting a minimum number of parking spaces for various land uses are based on standards developed by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). The Lancaster County Planning Commission conducted a study, Analysis of Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, which found that the amounts of parking required for various housing types does not match what is needed and developed this document to help match parking supply to parking demand. The document details techniques that can be used ..
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Creating Great Neighborhoods: Density in Your Community
Date Added: Wednesday, November 4, 2015Mixed/Multiple Use, Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Parking, Density
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
Density is a key factor in in the success of smart growth and can often be opposed by communities because poorly designed density adds to public frustration. This report emphasizes the importance of a balanced perspective when considering how density should be created and what it should look like. To assist communities in achieving a balanced perspective, the report explains the benefits of density in a community, provides case studies of the success of well-designed density, and design principles that can be applied by local communities to suc..
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How To Do A Build-Out Analysis
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Build-Out Analysis
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
The instructions formed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides an overview of the process a municipality should use in conducting a Build-Out Analysis. This document contains helpful information on what a Build-Out Analysis is and why it is a useful tool, issues that should be considered when conducting an Analysis and additional information that is available on conducting one. The instructions details two phases in the process, Phase I which visually depicts changes on a map and Phase II which quantifies the impact of the changes..
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Delaware Regional Planning Commission Municipal Implementation Tool #6: Parking Management Strategies
Date Added: Wednesday, February 24, 2016Parking
Delaware
Regional Planning Entity
The Parking Management Strategies brochure was developed by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission as part of a series of implementation tools based on the recommendations in the region’s long-term plan and specifically addresses strategies to balance the supply and demand for parking. The brochure details two types of parking strategies that are important for managing parking demand, the type that can be used to accommodate existing and future parking demand more efficiently and the type that can be used to reduce parking demand whic..
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State of New York Local Leaders Guide to Comprehensive Planning
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Comprehensive Planning
New York
State
This instructional paper gives local leaders an overview of ways in which to implement comprehensive planning in their communities. The paper covers such topics as: a definition of comprehensive planning, the purpose of developing a comprehensive plan, how and when to implement the plan, the authority under which communities are able to implement the plan, and a description of what limitations and concerns may come up. ..
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State of New York Local Leaders Guide to Moratorium on Development
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Comprehensive Planning, Local Boards, Moratoria
New York
State
This instructional paper gives local leaders an overview of ways in which to implement a moratorium on development in their communities. The paper covers such topics as: defining moratoria on development, the purpose of creating a moratorium on development, how and when to implement the moratorium, the authority under which communities are able to implement the moratorium, a description of what limitations and concerns may come up, and examples of municipalities putting moratoria into action.
..
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State of New York Series I: Basic Tools and Techniques Issue Number 3 Local Boards and Practices
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Land Use Planning, Local Boards
New York
State
The New York state legislature has created a system of local boards to govern the use and conservation of land and the quality of life as it is affected by land use. The local legislature adopts zoning and land use regulations; after a zoning code is adopted by this first group, a zoning board of appeals is created to perform quasi-judicial and administrative functions; and a planning board is created to perform advisory and administrative functions related to community planning and land use decision-making...
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Accessory Uses of Land in New York State
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Accessory Uses , Local Boards, Zoning
New York
State
Accessory Uses of Land in New York State, by Jeffery B. Durocher, explains how local communities take different approaches to permitting accessory uses of land, using the test of whether the proposed use is incidental and customary to the primary use of the land. The article also explains that religious and educational uses are usually permitted in residential areas because they contribute to the general welfare...
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How Can a Community Create Affordable Housing Opportunities?
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Affordable Housing
New York
State
New York does not allow municipalities to use zoning laws to discriminate on race or socioeconomic standing. Analysis of case law shows a trend of encouraging development of affordable housing, though New York does not expressly forbid exclusionary zoning...
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New York’s Second Land Use System: A Description of New York City Land Use Law
Date Added: Wednesday, March 2, 2016Land Use Planning, Local Boards, Zoning
New York
State
Kathryn M. Ryan’s paper describes New York City's complex zoning regulations. Its purpose is to condense and explain the most important features of that code in a digestible format. It relies heavily on materials to be found on a variety of the City’s web pages, including that of the Department of City Planning, some of which is presented here verbatim...
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Transit Supportive Planning Toolkit: Guidance and Resources for Plan and Policy Development
Date Added: Monday, March 21, 2016Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Washington
Regional Planning Entity
The Puget Sound region is estimated to grow to 5 million people and 3 million jobs by 2040 and in order to accommodate that growth, better access to a strong multimodal transportation system is needed. This Toolkit was developed by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) to provide strategies that strengthen the linkage between land use and transit in local plans and implementation regulations, as well as to provide important PSRC and transit agency contacts and web resources.
The three general strategies for successfully implementing trans..
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Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions Among Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality Second Edition
Date Added: Monday, March 21, 2016Land Use Planning, Quality of Life, Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
This report was developed to assist federal, state, local government agencies, real estate developers and investors, and communities to understand the important relationship between the built and natural environments. A review of scientific literature for this report shows transportation infrastructure, and building siting and design can directly and indirectly affect environmental quality, human health, natural habitats, and community quality of life. This report details the ways that how we build and where we build effects the natural environ..
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Model Small-Scale Solar Siting Ordinance
Date Added: Monday, June 18, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
New York
N/A
Columbia Law School’s Center for Climate Change Law developed the Model Small-Scale Solar Siting Ordinance, which includes several helpful solar energy system definitions. The model ordinance defines building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems as those that integrate photovoltaic modules into the building structure, such as the roof or fac¸ade, but which do not alter roof relief. The model defines freestanding or ground-mounted solar energy systems as those directly installed in the ground and not attached or affixed to an existing structur..
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Penn Future's Solar Installation Guidebook
Date Added: Tuesday, June 19, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
Pennsylvania
N/A
Penn Future’s Western PA Solar Installation Guidebook provides information on how to handle zoning and permitting solar energy in one’s municipality. Section B contains a model zoning ordinance. The ordinance defines a “building-mounted system” as one “attached to any part or type of roof on a building or structure that has an occupancy permit . . . and that is either the principal structure or an accessory structure . . . .” The ordinance defines a “ground-mounted system” as one “mounted on a structure, pole or series of poles constructed spec..
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Plan4Health Food Systems (APA)
Date Added: Monday, June 25, 2018Healthy Communities, Urban Farming & Community Gardens
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Plan4Health American Planning Association Project released a report on Food systems. The Plan4Health coalition identifies the factors that impact a community’s access to healthy food, compiles Best Practices, and provides additional resources regarding these factors that impact food systems. The report provides information about and suggestions for community gardens, home gardens, healthy corner stores, mobile markets, food hubs, and food banks. The report also provides a list of communities with Plan4Health Cohorts. ..
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Plan4Health Food Systems (APA)
Date Added: Monday, June 25, 2018Healthy Communities, Urban Farming & Community Gardens
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Plan4Health American Planning Association Project released a report on Food systems. The Plan4Health coalition identifies the factors that impact a community’s access to healthy food, compiles Best Practices, and provides additional resources regarding these factors that impact food systems. The report provides information about and suggestions for community gardens, home gardens, healthy corner stores, mobile markets, food hubs, and food banks. The report also provides a list of communities with Plan4Health Cohorts. ..
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Plan4Health Active Living (APA)
Date Added: Tuesday, June 26, 2018Pedestrian Oriented Design (POD), Transportation & Land Use Planning, Healthy Communities, Complete Streets
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Plan4Health American Planning Association Project released a report on Active Living. The Plan4Health coalition considers how the build environment supports or hinders active living (incorporating physical activity into everyday activities). The toolkit provides several resources to help communities incorporate active living principles into their community planning. This report also provides examples of communities who have best practices regarding bike-friendly businesses, smart trips (framework encouraging people to reduce solo trips and ..
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A Practitioner’s Guide for Advancing Health Equity: Community Strategies for Preventing Chronic Disease
Date Added: Tuesday, July 17, 2018Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Healthy Equity Guide is meant to assist practitioners with promoting health and
preventing chronic disease in local communities. This information has been gathered from
local, state and tribal organizations as lessons on what to look for when addressing health
inequities. A major topic discussed is using green infrastructure and adopting bike/walking
paths to address disproportionate rates of obesity and create access to healthy food
resources. It also discusses creating safe and accessible streets for all users. In Section two,
the d..
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Seattle Food Action Plan
Date Added: Tuesday, July 17, 2018Land Use Planning, Local Food Production, Healthy Communities, Urban Farming & Community Gardens
Washington
Municipal
The city adopted the “Seattle Food Action Plan” in 2013, created by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, that lays out specific strategies to get more healthy food to more Seattle residents. This plan is aimed at expanding opportunities for people to grow and procure healthy food in the city, enhancing the regional economy, and reducing food-related waste. The Food Action Plan involves many departments of the city, including the Human Services Department, responsible for developing community gardens to provide meal programs for childre..
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County of Howard, Maryland - Use of Solar Panels and Other Solar Devices in Historic Districts Guidelines
Date Added: Monday, June 11, 2018Historic District Preservation, Solar Energy, Zoning
Maryland
Municipal
Howard County, Maryland offers guidelines for installing solar energy systems in historic districts. For example, one recommendation is to install solar panels on roof surface so it is not visible from a public way. The guidelines also include practices one should avoid, like removing historic roofing materials in order to add solar panels...
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ICMA/ The Solar Foundation’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Encouraging Solar Development through Community Association Policies and Processes
Date Added: Tuesday, June 19, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
State: Not Applicable
N/A
ICMA guidelines focus heavily on the visibility aspect of solar energy systems. Residential guidelines include that system panels should be mounted as close to the roof as possible, and no part of the installation should be visible above the peak of the roof to which it is attached. Panels also should not protrude above the roofline to be visible from adjacent properties, and pipes, wires, and mounting hardware must be unobtrusive...
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Promoting Public Health Through Smart Growth: Building Healthier Communities Through Transportation and Land Use Policies and Practices
Date Added: Thursday, July 12, 2018Smart Growth, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This document emphasizes how living smart growth communities leads to greater overall public health. It discusses practices that can be used in a variety of locations and focuses on how planners should create compact development that allow people to walk to their homes, supermarkets, schools and retail. These strategies are also used to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives goals, such as reducing climate change, air pollution and traffic congestions, increasing convenience and accessibility for people of all ages and increasing..
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Building Healthy Communities: Residents Live in Communities With Health-Promoting Land use, Transportation, and Community Development
Date Added: Thursday, July 12, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities, Complete Streets, Urban Farming & Community Gardens
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The purpose of this guide is to provide strategies to help local planners improve health in their communities through land use design, transportation and community development. The document is broken down into twelve different categories of promising strategies used by local governments to improve overall public health. The it discusses how communities can measure progress after implementing these policies. This document focuses on centering the built environment around a walkable/bikeable community with complete streets policies, safe routes f..
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Healthy Community Implementation Toolbox
Date Added: Thursday, July 12, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities, Zoning
California
N/A
Los Angeles wants to decrease health inequalities, chronic disease and obesity amongst the community. As a result, the ULI Los Angeles’ Healthy Community Implementation Toolbox was created for local governments and officials in public works, planning, and private developers. The goal of this toolbox is to create a healthy environment with creative active living design plans, incorporating fast food regulations and healthy retail incentives, along with farmers’ markets and community gardens. The toolbox outlines twelve tools for developing healt..
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Austin Healthy Food Access Initiative
Date Added: Tuesday, July 17, 2018Transportation & Land Use Planning, Healthy Communities, Zoning, Urban Farming & Community Gardens, Vulnerable Populations
Texas
Municipal
This initiative began in 2015 with an American Planning Association Plan4Health grant to address access to healthy food in the North Central area of Austin, Texas. The City, through its Office of Sustainability, created a Food Planning Pilot Program focused on priority populations who have historically struggled to find healthy, fresh foods at affordable prices. These populations include school children who qualify for free lunches, immigrants, refugees, and other struggling low-income groups. In response to the City Council’s Resolution in 201..
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Get Healthy Philly 2015 Annual Report
Date Added: Tuesday, July 17, 2018Land Use Planning, Healthy Communities
Pennsylvania
Municipal
The Get Healthy Philly program was launched in 2010 as a public health initiative aimed to prevent disease, increase accessibility to healthy foods, promote increased physical activity through open space design and planning for walkability, and encourage smoke-free policies. This program, developed by the City’s Department of Public Health, is focused on six major strategies: media and communication campaigns regarding the benefits of exercise and tobacco-free environments; policies aimed at decreasing exposure to secondhand smoke and increasin..
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National Healthy Housing Standard
Date Added: Wednesday, July 18, 2018Affordable Housing , Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
Affordability, location, and quality of housing have all been independently linked to health. The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and the American Public Health Association (APHA) have created an evidenced based National Healthy Housing Standard as a tool to reconnect the housing and public sectors, and as an evidence based-standard of care for those in the position of improving housing conditions. The Standard developed by these two groups provides health-based provisions to fill gaps where no property maintenance policy exists and ..
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American Planning Association’s Solar Planning & Zoning Database
Date Added: Tuesday, June 19, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The American Planning Association hosts an online Solar Planning & Zoning Data Search database. From this portal, users can search hundreds of examples of solar-supportive plans, development regulations, and other planning-related implementation tools by place type, population range and density, tool type, and solar practice. The database includes example policies, plans, and regulations from communities across the nation...
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Energize CT Solar PV Model Zoning Ordinance
Date Added: Wednesday, June 20, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
Connecticut
N/A
Energize CT developed a model solar PV zoning ordinance to aid municipalities in developing their own solar PV zoning ordinance. The model provides example height restrictions for various types of solar collector units. It states that ground-mounted solar PV systems are permitted as an accessory use in all zoning districts upon issuance of the proper permit and that they must not exceed thirty-five inches in height. Roof-mounted solar PV systems (permitted as an accessory use in all zoning districts upon issuance of the proper permit) shall be ..
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Grow Solar Local Government Solar Toolkit for Minnesota: Planning, Zoning, and Permitting
Date Added: Wednesday, June 20, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
Minnesota
N/A
The model addresses concerns that are primarily in counties, townships, and rural areas rather than cities and urban areas. The incentive portion of the urban model ordinance can be applied in rural areas, as are provisions addressing solar access and aesthetic considerations in those rural areas with development patterns at an urban scale (typically lots smaller than 1 acre). This ordinance addresses solar energy as both a principal use and as an accessory use to the primary residential or commercial use. The model outlines height restriction..
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Biking and Walking in the United States 2016
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Pedestrian Oriented Design (POD), Healthy Communities, Bicycle Infrastructure
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Benchmarking Project has 3 primary objectives: 1) to promote data collection and availability, 2) to measure progress and evaluate results, and 3) to support efforts to increase bicycling and walking. The project is also motivated by making the connection between active transportation and healthy communities. The first half of this report contains a review of relevant research that supports biking and walking improvements, and the second half of the report provides state and city data. Part one explains the Benchmarking Project and the data..
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Grocery Store Attraction Strategies
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Healthy Communities, Food Deserts
State: Not Applicable
N/A
Lower income communities can have difficulties accessing fresh food, which can affect the physical health of the community residents and the economic health of the neighborhood. This report discusses research that has been conducted which highlights the difficulties that communities face in attracting a grocery store and having the store be successful, and serves as a resource to help communities organize a strategy to attract grocery stores. It also discusses the resources of local governments and local community-based organizations which have..
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From Fitness Zones to the Medical Mile: How Urban Park Systems Can Best Promote Health and Wellness
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Healthy Communities, Parks & Recreation
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Trust for Public Land conducted a study and determined that in order for a park system to poster mental and physical well-being, it must be used by the public. The professionals in the fields of public and mental health, parks and recreation, landscape architecture, and urban planning discussed and analyzed park elements such as trails, sports fields, playgrounds, drinking fountains, restrooms, and other facilities, and how they are provided, promoted, and signed. The professionals also considered important variables external to the parks s..
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Building Healthy Places Tool Kit: Strategies for Enhancing Health in the Business Environment
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Land Use Planning, Healthy Communities, Architectural Design Control
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Building Healthy Places Tool Kit focuses on community opportunities to promote health and prevent its members from chronic diseases. This toolkit is meant to serve as a resource for shapers of buildings and projects interested in making “specific evidence supported design” to create a healthier environment. The report lists twenty-one recommendations for promoting “gold star” health organized into three separate categories; “physical activity, healthy food and drinking water, and healthy environment and social well-being”. These strategies ..
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Comprehensive Planning for Public Health: Results of Planning and Community Health Research Survey
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities, Equity
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The American Planning Association devised a guide to reduce health inequities amongst communities. The guide states that careful designing, implementation strategies and individual or community resources can be used to reduce these health inequities. The guide is organized into four major points; “incorporating health equity into foundational skills for public health, maximizing tobacco-free living strategies to advance health equity, maximizing healthy food and beverage strategies and maximizing active living strategies to advance health equit..
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Economic Development and Redevelopment: A Toolkit on Land Use and Health
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Economic Development, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Economic Development and Redevelopment Toolkit was designed to improve low-income community access to food by providing a fundamental understanding of economic development and redevelopment and how these tools can provide opportunities to increase food retailing in the community. These economic development strategies breakdown the type of economic revitalization based on business attractions, physical redevelopment and the community members. The toolkit discusses the advantages and challenges of specific food systems, including, supermarke..
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Health and Planning Roundtable
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
Oregon
State
This article discusses how the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association is has focused on improving policies to advance community public health on the state-level and local-level. The Oregon American Planning Association is working with health-related organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the American Public Health Association, to improve health through planning practices. In Oregon currently, at the state-level, there is limited mention of the built environment’s impact on health. At the local-level, in places l..
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Health and Planning Roundtable
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
Oregon
State
This article discusses how the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association is has focused on improving policies to advance community public health on the state-level and local-level. The Oregon American Planning Association is working with health-related organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the American Public Health Association, to improve health through planning practices. In Oregon currently, at the state-level, there is limited mention of the built environment’s impact on health. At the local-level, in places l..
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Healthy Plan Making (APA)
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This document lays out a chart discussing important methods of integrating public health practices into comprehensive plans. Based on a study in 2010 by the American Planning Association, the organization generated a list of strategies used in the planning process to integrate public health. The major components of the list include community engagement, active living, emergency preparedness, environmental health, food and nutrition, public services and social cohesion and mental health. The document also provides examples of places where these ..
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Safe Routes to Parks (APA)
Date Added: Tuesday, June 26, 2018Healthy Communities, Parks & Recreation
State: Not Applicable
N/A
Access to green space and open space is important for personal health and well-being. This fact sheet provides city and regional planners resources to help foster an environment that establishes safe routes to parks. The APA provides outlines of plans, policies, and strategies that planners can pursue and provides examples of communities with safe routes to parks. ..
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Establishing Land Use Protections for Community Gardens
Date Added: Tuesday, June 26, 2018Healthy Communities, Urban Farming & Community Gardens
State: Not Applicable
N/A
Local governments are promoting healthy eating and active living by supporting community gardens, which are spaces where community residents can gather to cultivate different crops. Planning for Healthy Places, which is a Public Health Law & Policy, has created a set of complementary model land use policy to help communities, specifically in California, create and preserve community gardens. This resource provides examples of communities that have existing laws and policies promoting community gardens and other resources that provide helpful in..
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Establishing Land Use Protections for Community Gardens
Date Added: Tuesday, June 26, 2018Healthy Communities, Urban Farming & Community Gardens
State: Not Applicable
N/A
Local governments are promoting healthy eating and active living by supporting community gardens, which are spaces where community residents can gather to cultivate different crops. Planning for Healthy Places, which is a Public Health Law & Policy, has created a set of complementary model land use policy to help communities, specifically in California, create and preserve community gardens. This resource provides examples of communities that have existing laws and policies promoting community gardens and other resources that provide helpful in..
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Health & Green Infrastructure
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Healthy Communities, Low Impact Development & Green Infrastructure
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The three pillars of sustainability (economy, environment, and equity) provide a useful framework for understanding the health benefits of green infrastructure. This report provides examples of how green infrastructure promotes health through all three pillars, and provides explanations, examples, and best practices for each pillar. ..
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Health in the Development Review Process
Date Added: Tuesday, July 10, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This article discusses how design strategies of roads, buildings and public can be used to incorporate health. The document is split into four sections which discuss the detailed direction on how communities can consider their individuals must take into account the specific needs of the environment and what direction planners must take to generate a healthy community. The first section discusses how a community can use their comprehensive plan to envision and ensure healthy lifestyles by incorporating the importance of health into the planning ..
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Healthy Plan Making Integrating Health Into the Comprehensive Planning Process: An Analysis of Seven Case Studies and Recommendations for Change (APA)
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The purpose of this document is to identify specific tools and strategies used when incorporating public health policies and goals and the processes of implementing these goals. Based on a study in 2010 by the American Planning Association, the organization generated a list of strategies used in the planning process to integrate public health. This study provides an in depth, qualitative case study analysis of how public health became a part of the planning process” and background on what creates successful policies...
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Healthy Planning: An evaluation of comprehensive plans addressing public health (APA)
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The purpose of this project is to create a framework which communities can follow that outline strategies of how to implement public health goals into comprehensive plans. More specifically, the project includes four sustainability plans that have been implemented across the United States. In “Examples” of Robust Public Health Policy, it discusses community examples which include active living, emergency preparedness, environmental exposures, food and nutrition, health and human services policies and social cohesion and mental health. The proje..
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Metrics For Planning Healthy Communities
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Healthy Communities
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This project focuses on improving community healthy through the environments people “live, work and play.” The built environment is important because it can be used to reduce health inequities, strengthen the integration of health and planning and reduce socioeconomic issues. The project discusses the five categories that impact overall health and determines how planners can promote healthy lifestyles to counteract these factors through the built environment. Planners must be a focus on both traditional and social factors which impact human hea..
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Multigenerational Planning: using smart growth and universal design to link the needs of children and the aging population
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018Smart Growth, Equity
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This article discusses how multigenerational planning is a “holistic approach” that assess the needs of many different age groups while planning policies that include zoning, local laws and building codes. The ultimate goal is creating a community that ensures “generational equality”. The article begins by discussing changes in population and demographics that impact how planners address certain issues. It articulates the needs, wants and concerns of each age group and what kind of communities they look to live in. Planners must provide a desig..
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PAS Essential Info Packet: Planning & Zoning for Health in the Built Environment
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Land Use Planning, Healthy Communities, Zoning
State: Not Applicable
N/A
The Essential Info Packet provides planners with a collection of examples that demonstrate a connection between health and the built environment. These examples include zoning laws, policies, and how-to guidance on how communities across the country have addressed issues of public health. First it provides a list of sources which analyze the importance of creating a connection between health and the built environment. It also includes, collaborations with local governments and agencies, health impact assessments, comprehensive plans and toolkit..
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Land trust response To renewable energy siting challenges in New York
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018New York
N/A
For partial fulfillment for his Master of Science in Environmental Policy from the Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy, Mr. Collin Adkins submitted his Master’s Capstone titled “Land trust response to renewable energy siting challenges in New York." Within this report, Mr. Adkins “creates a baseline assessment of New York’s land trusts that evaluates the extent to which land trusts are aware of and responding to the changing policies around renewable energy and its impacts on land use.” The report goes further by suggesting five area..
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Land Use Planning for Public Health: The Role of Local Boards of Health in Community Design and Development
Date Added: Wednesday, July 11, 2018Comprehensive Planning, Land Use Planning, Local Boards, Healthy Communities, Zoning
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This article focuses on the health issues arising from the built environment and the roles of both the government and private sector must do to combat these issues. First the article discusses issues affecting the built environment, such as decreases in water and air quality, loss of farmland, increase in traffic and residential segregation. A key focus in the article is how transportation plays a major role in shaping the built environment and how urban design can create greater quality neighborhoods. The article also goes into detail about wa..
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General Plans and Zoning: A toolkit for building healthy, vibrant communities
Date Added: Thursday, July 19, 2018Land Use Planning, Healthy Communities, Zoning
State: Not Applicable
N/A
This resource is helpful for communities to look to see how zoning and public health relate. There is an overlap between public health and zoning. On page 135, the City of Berkley provides an example of zoning for food access. It discusses how local zoning and land use law influenced the city to cater to the needs of the town and push for a grocery store offering affordable fresh foods. When motivating community residents to speak for the needs of their fellow neighbors and quality of food access, projects get completed. This document also dis..
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Project Turnkey
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
Oregon
State
An Oregon state-level program to acquire hotels and motels for conversion to non-congregate shelter during Covid-19 and eventually become permanent affordable housing. Oregon’s Legislature allocated $65 million¬–including CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds, FEMA, Emergency Solutions Grants–$30 million for eight counties and tribal communities impacted by wildfires, and $35 to the other 28 counties of Oregon. Additionally, $9.7 million was allotted for additional projects. Through a competitive grant process, $71.7 million has been approved for ..
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Affordability Unlocked Development Bonus Program Applicant Guide
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing , Incentive Zoning
Texas
Municipal
Austin’s “Affordability Unlocked” program provides waivers and bonuses in exchange for setting aside at least 50% of a new development’s units for a minimum of 40 years for rental and 99 years for ownership units. In rental units, 20% of all units must meet 50% AMI and affordable units must be affordable to households at 60% AMI or below to qualify. 25% of affordable units must either (a) have two or more bedrooms, (b) serve as supportive housing, or (c) serve as elderly housing. For sale units, affordable unit prices must be affordable to hous..
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Adaptive Reuse: Governor Cuomo’s New Plan to Re-Purpose Buildings
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing , Vacant & Distressed Properties
New York
Municipal
In New York City, office, commercial, and hotel spaces have been unused due to the pandemic, leaving many spaces vacant. Because NYC has experienced a shortage of affordable housing for years, Governor Cuomo proposed a plan to repurpose vacant commercial properties into affordable housing units. This can help pandemic recovery proceed. Gov. Cuomo proposed a five-year period where these spaces will be converted. ..
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Berkeley votes for historic housing change: an end to single-family zoning
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing , Zoning, Density
California
Municipal
Berkeley’s zoning code was amended to eliminate all single-family zones and replace them with multi-family zones, allowing for development of duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes to alleviate the city’s housing strain. This is estimated to add an additional 9,000 housing units in the next several years. Berkeley was nationally known for being the “birthplace of exclusionary zoning,” and the town decided it was time to address the issue. The new units will match existing neighborhood style while also maintaining historic character...
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Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing , Mixed/Multiple Use, Pedestrian Oriented Design (POD), Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Density
Arizona
Municipal
Culdesac Tempe is a car free neighborhood in Arizona that has 636 housing units on 16 acres. All buildings are connected via walkways and courtyards. The development also has a bike share program and is located next to public transit. This is a mixed-use, high-density zone to encourage pedestrian-oriented development that provides housing opportunities for a variety of income levels...
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Homekey
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
California
State
California’s Statewide Hotels-to-Housing Initiative: Homekey is a California statewide program that allocated $846 million of federal CARES Act CRF funds, state funds, and philanthropic money to support acquiring hotels, motels, and other properties to be converted into housing for the homeless during Covid-19 with the goal that the majority of units will become permanent housing. Through an application process open to local public entities– including cities, counties, housing authorities, and federally recognized tribal governments–6,066 units..
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Homekey
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
California
State
California’s Statewide Hotels-to-Housing Initiative: Homekey is a California statewide program that allocated $846 million of federal CARES Act CRF funds, state funds, and philanthropic money to support acquiring hotels, motels, and other properties to be converted into housing for the homeless during Covid-19 with the goal that the majority of units will become permanent housing. Through an application process open to local public entities– including cities, counties, housing authorities, and federally recognized tribal governments–6,066 units..
Read More
Homekey
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
California
State
California’s Statewide Hotels-to-Housing Initiative: Homekey is a California statewide program that allocated $846 million of federal CARES Act CRF funds, state funds, and philanthropic money to support acquiring hotels, motels, and other properties to be converted into housing for the homeless during Covid-19 with the goal that the majority of units will become permanent housing. Through an application process open to local public entities– including cities, counties, housing authorities, and federally recognized tribal governments–6,066 units..
Read More
Homekey
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
California
State
California’s Statewide Hotels-to-Housing Initiative: Homekey is a California statewide program that allocated $846 million of federal CARES Act CRF funds, state funds, and philanthropic money to support acquiring hotels, motels, and other properties to be converted into housing for the homeless during Covid-19 with the goal that the majority of units will become permanent housing. Through an application process open to local public entities– including cities, counties, housing authorities, and federally recognized tribal governments–6,066 units..
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Vermont Housing & Conservation Board Coronavirus Relief Fund: Vermont’s Statewide Initiative
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
Vermont
State
Partnering with non-profit housing developers and service providers, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) developed a proposal to help shelter and create permeant housing for the homeless in response to Covid-19. Legislation in support of the proposal passed in June 2020, and $33 million of federal CARES Act Coronavirus RELIEF FUNDS (CRF) was allocated to VHCB to manage. As a result, 247 units destined to become permanent affordable housing were acquired and/or rehabilitated...
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Daybreak Mews
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing , Mixed/Multiple Use, Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Utah
Municipal
Daybreak Mews Homes in South Jordan, Utah has 147 houses within 3.2 acres and was created to provide low- to moderate-income residents with an opportunity for home ownership. It is a townhouse community that is both walkable and near public transit...
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Redbrook
Date Added: Tuesday, August 24, 2021Affordable Housing , Affordable Housing , Mixed/Multiple Use, Mixed/Multiple Use
Massachusetts
Municipal
Redbrook in Plymouth, Massachusetts has a variety of housing types in a
1,000+ unit development project with 10% designated affordable. There is
single family, condominium, townhome, twin home, cottage, and apartment
housing. Redbrook is zoned for mixed use to provide residents with a
walkable space in which they may live, work, and recreate. There is an over
400-acre conservation area in Redbrook...
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Redbrook
Date Added: Tuesday, August 24, 2021Affordable Housing , Affordable Housing , Mixed/Multiple Use, Mixed/Multiple Use
Massachusetts
Municipal
Redbrook in Plymouth, Massachusetts has a variety of housing types in a
1,000+ unit development project with 10% designated affordable. There is
single family, condominium, townhome, twin home, cottage, and apartment
housing. Redbrook is zoned for mixed use to provide residents with a
walkable space in which they may live, work, and recreate. There is an over
400-acre conservation area in Redbrook...
Read More
Adaptive Reuse: Governor Cuomo’s New Plan to Re-Purpose Buildings
Date Added: Tuesday, August 24, 2021Affordable Housing
New York
Municipal
In New York City, office, commercial, and hotel spaces have been unused due to the pandemic, leaving many spaces vacant. Because NYC has experienced a shortage of affordable housing for years, Governor Cuomo proposed a plan to repurpose vacant commercial properties into affordable housing units. This
can help pandemic recovery proceed. Gov. Cuomo proposed a five-year period
where these spaces will be converted...
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Untapped Potential: Strategies for Revitalization and Reuse
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
California
Municipal
Los Angeles created a guideline for future adaptive reuse legislation. Its top strategies to promote reuse are: leverage data and mapping tools to understand reuse opportunities; eliminate, reduce, or recalibrate parking requirements; update zoning codes to meet the needs of the 21st century; retain and strengthen existing incentive programs for reuse; remove key barriers that prevent change of use in vacant or underutilized buildings; develop a solutions database to track and promote ways to overcome building code challenges; develop new sourc..
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Accessory Dwelling Units
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Accessory Uses
Maine
Municipal
Allows ADUs to provide additional housing choice for its residents. This code focuses on moderate income housing and requires the owner of the primary dwelling and ADU reside in one of the units, but does not specify the requisite time period. The ADU may not exceed 900 square feet or 35% of the primary dwelling unit size. Biddeford sets moderately strict requirements for stairways, balconies, parking, entrances, exterior materials, lot orientation, and number of occupants...
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Evaluation of the City of Burlington's Inclusive Zoning Ordinance
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Affordable Housing
Vermont
Municipal
Passed ordinance that applies to any development of 5 or more dwelling units. The ordinance targets 65% AMI for rentals and 75% AMI for sales. Compliance with the ordinance provides developers with density and lot coverage bonus between 15% and 25% in addition to up to 50% parking waiver. Where the average price of units is 0-139% AMU, 15% of units must be affordable. Where the average price is 140-179% AMI, 20% of units must be affordable. Finally, where the average price of units is 180% or more AMI, or is located in the waterfront district, ..
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PEW Health Informed Decisions Toolkit
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Healthy Communities, Health Impact Assessments
State: Not Applicable
N/A
PEW developed a toolkit of strategies that local governments are implementing to make better health-conscious decisions. You can search by type of strategy, geographically, research method, and more. The goal is by having a constantly updated health toolkit, local governments can see what other municipalities are doing to make better health choices when it comes to housing, education, and planning. ..
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Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook
Date Added: Thursday, August 12, 2021Accessory Uses , Affordable Housing
California
State
California’s new legislature reduces impediments on ADUs. Local legislatures may no longer use minimum lot sizes to limit ADU development, eliminates all owner occupancy requirements, prohibits local governments from setting maximum sizes under 850 square feet, renders CC&Rs void where unduly restrictive on ADU development, and requires local governments to create affordable units for various income levels. ..
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Land Use Law Center Streamlined Review & Approval Process
Date Added: Saturday, April 22, 2017Streamlining
New York
Municipal
For cities and villages to encourage needed development and the tax base benefits it brings, they must be certain that the process of receiving, reviewing, and acting on applications for land use approvals is efficient, saving applicants the time and cost of undue delays. Streamlining ensures that this process is as clear and understandable as possible, from the moment an applicant enters city or village hall until a Certificate of Occupancy for a project is secured. This document is designed to assist municipalities in assessing the purpose o..
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Land Use Law Center Diagnostic Checklist of Redevelopment Readiness Techniques
Date Added: Saturday, April 22, 2017Economic Development, Land Use Planning
New York
N/A
The Land Use Law Center created this checklist to assess a municipality’s readiness for redevelopment. The checklist contains questions intended to determine what redevelopment strategies a municipality has in place or will be able to implement. The diagnostic checklist assesses readiness in nine areas, including financial incentives and community support. The information obtained using this diagnostic checklist can be used to tailor redevelopment strategies to a municipality’s needs.
*This document was prepared with funds provided by the..
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Land Use Law Center Strategies for Scattered Site & Infill Development Checklist
Date Added: Friday, April 21, 2017Land Use Planning, Urban Renewal, Vacant & Distressed Properties, Streamlining
New York
Municipal
The Land Use Law Center created this checklist to assist municipalities in planning for infill and scattered site development. The checklist contains guidance from the beginning steps, such as identifying properties with redevelopment potential to engaging the community. The document also contains a checklist to present tools to help municipalities create and implement streamlined project review protocols to encourage economic development while still protecting the environment.
*This document was prepared with funds provided by the New Y..
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Land Use Law Center Model Comprehensive Economic Development Policy
Date Added: Saturday, April 22, 2017Comprehensive Planning, Economic Development
New York
Municipal
This model economic development policy is designed to supplement the comprehensive plans of communities participating in the Mayors’ Redevelopment Roundtable (MRR). It contains strategies that will increase the tax base, add jobs, reduce per capita municipal costs, and create new land uses that are needed to transform the local economy so that other critical comprehensive plan objectives can be addressed. It can be adopted as a whole or used as a menu of options to guide municipal actions regarding economic development according to local needs...
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Land Use Law Center Strategies for Sustainable, Economic Development Checklist
Date Added: Saturday, April 22, 2017Economic Development, Land Use Planning
New York
Municipal
The Land Use Law Center created this checklist to assist municipalities in planning for sustainable, economic development. The goal is encourage use of strategies that encourage development that is environmentally conscious and economically prosperous. The checklist contains guidance on improvements in eighteen different areas, such as developing code for transit-oriented development districts and encouraging neighborhood-organized improvements.
*This document was prepared with funds provided by the New York State Department of State und..
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Effects of the Built Environment on Transportation: Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Other Factors
Date Added: Monday, July 20, 2015Emissions, Energy Efficiency & Conservation, Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
This report is part of a series of report and tools developed as a part of the U.S. Department of Energy Transportation Energy Futures project. There is a substantial amount of literature that examines the relationship between the built environment, travel, and energy use and this report reviews and summarizes it. It was developed with the intent to inform national policy experts and decision makers about how changes to land use and the built environment could reduce transportation energy use and identifies possible federal actions that effect ..
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New York State Statutes that Provide for the Protection of Agricultural Lands
Date Added: Wednesday, December 2, 2015Agriculture, Farmland Protection & Preservation
New York
State
Michael Morea’s article reviews different New York State statutes and different methods that can be implemented to preserve farmland and still allow development. The author concludes that New York State is trying to carry out its Constitutional policy of preserving farmland, but that the statutes are largely separated and it is difficult for the municipality to create a effective policy. Some of the statutes that the author discovered provide tax breaks and financial incentives for the creation of easements restricting the land to agricultural ..
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County of Westchester Non-Profit Housing Providers List
Date Added: Monday, March 21, 2016Affordable Housing
New York
Municipal
A list of non-profit housing providers, along with their contact information, in Westchester County, NY...
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Land Use Law Center’s Model Critical Environmental Area Overlay District
Date Added: Sunday, May 7, 2017Overlay District, Wildlife & Fish Habitat, Natural Resource Protection & Conservation
New York
State
The following is a model law that can be used by municipalities to protect wildlife habitat and other critical environmental areas. ..
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Technical Guidance Manual for Sustainable Neighborhoods
Date Added: Tuesday, May 9, 2017Comprehensive Planning, Development Standards, Local Environmental Law, Subdivision Regulations, Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Zoning, Street & Sidewalk Development, Parking
State: Not Applicable
U.S. Federal
The sections of this manual are designed to parallel a typical municipality’s land development plans, regulations, and related policies. It begins by presenting strategies to integrate LEED-ND criteria into local planning policies as expressed in comprehensive plans and special area plans. It then presents strategies for incorporating LEED-ND criteria into traditional zoning code sections, site plan and subdivision regulations, and other land use development standards, including building and related codes. Finally, it introduces strategies for ..
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City of Chicago Rooftop Solar PV System Application Process; Solar Zoning
Date Added: Saturday, January 6, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
Illinois
Municipal
The City of Chicago has made installation of both small rooftop solar PV systems (<13.44kw) and large rooftop solar PV systems (those generating greater than 13.44kw) easier than ever before by easing restrictions and streamlining processes, saving time and design costs. Applicants for small rooftop systems can now access the City’s Easy Permit Process (EPP) where qualifying projects can receive same-day permit approvals at reduced fees. For projects that meet the Easy Permit Process (EPP) requirements, the permitting process was cut down from ..
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Village of Croton-on-Hudson Unified Solar Application; Solar Zoning
Date Added: Saturday, January 6, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
New York
Municipal
The Village of Croton-on-Hudson adopted the NY-Sun Unified Solar Permit (USP), a combined building and electrical permit for certain solar energy systems developed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and the City University of New York’s Sustainable CUNY. The USP expedites the permitting process for “small-scale solar electric systems,” that have a rated capacity of 12 kW or less and that are installed on a permitted roof structure of a building, or on a legal accessory..
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Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Renewable Energy Ordinance Frameworks; Solar Zoning
Date Added: Saturday, January 6, 2018State: Not Applicable
Regional Planning Entity
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s (DVRPC) Renewable Energy Ordinance Frameworks serve as a resource for municipalities as they develop and update ordinances to govern the siting of small-scale renewable energy systems in their community. The frameworks provide clear, consistent guidance on how to construct renewable energy ordinances and promote safe and sound community development. These frameworks provide a menu of sample ordinance language options, both permissive and restrictive, to allow municipalities to build a customize..
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State of Virginia’s Model Ordinances for Solar Energy Projects (Large, Small, Tax Exemptions); Solar Zoning
Date Added: Sunday, January 7, 2018Virginia
State
The Local Government Outreach Group (LOG), convened by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, developed two model zoning ordinances: the first for smaller-scale solar energy projects and the second for larger-scale projects. These ordinances define both smaller- and larger-scale projects as (1) those that generate electricity from sunlight using one or more photovoltaic systems and other appurtenant structures and facilities onsite, OR (2) those that utilize sunlight as an energy source to heat or cool buildings or water or produce e..
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State of Virginia’s Model Ordinances for Solar Energy Projects (Large, Small, Tax Exemptions); Solar Zoning
Date Added: Sunday, January 7, 2018Virginia
State
The Local Government Outreach Group (LOG), convened by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, developed two model zoning ordinances: the first for smaller-scale solar energy projects and the second for larger-scale projects. These ordinances define both smaller- and larger-scale projects as (1) those that generate electricity from sunlight using one or more photovoltaic systems and other appurtenant structures and facilities onsite, OR (2) those that utilize sunlight as an energy source to heat or cool buildings or water or produce e..
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State of Virginia’s Model Ordinances for Solar Energy Projects (Large, Small, Tax Exemptions); Solar Zoning
Date Added: Sunday, January 7, 2018Virginia
State
The Local Government Outreach Group (LOG), convened by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, developed two model zoning ordinances: the first for smaller-scale solar energy projects and the second for larger-scale projects. These ordinances define both smaller- and larger-scale projects as (1) those that generate electricity from sunlight using one or more photovoltaic systems and other appurtenant structures and facilities onsite, OR (2) those that utilize sunlight as an energy source to heat or cool buildings or water or produce e..
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State of Virginia’s Model Ordinances for Solar Energy Projects (Large, Small, Tax Exemptions); Solar Zoning
Date Added: Sunday, January 7, 2018Virginia
State
The Local Government Outreach Group (LOG), convened by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, developed two model zoning ordinances: the first for smaller-scale solar energy projects and the second for larger-scale projects. These ordinances define both smaller- and larger-scale projects as (1) those that generate electricity from sunlight using one or more photovoltaic systems and other appurtenant structures and facilities onsite, OR (2) those that utilize sunlight as an energy source to heat or cool buildings or water or produce e..
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North Carolina’s Template Solar Energy Development Ordinance; Solar Zoning
Date Added: Sunday, January 7, 2018Solar Energy, Zoning
North Carolina
State
The Template Solar Energy Development Ordinance for North Carolina defines solar energy systems (“SES”), in part, based on their physical size measured in acres. According to the state’s model ordinance, Level 1 SESs include those that are ground-mounted on an area of up to 50 percent of the footprint of the primary structure on the parcel but no more than 1 acre. Level 2 SESs are ground-mounted systems with a footprint of less than or equal to a half acre in residential districts, less than or equal to 10 acres in general commercial business a..
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Pinellas County, FL Incentivizes Affordable Housing
Date Added: Tuesday, August 31, 2021Affordable Housing , Incentive Zoning
Florida
Regional - Multiple Municipalities
Pinellas County provides numerous incentives for affordable housing development: expedited permit processing, review fee relief, reduced parking requirements, housing in commercial zones, donation of publicly owned land, identifying qualified renters or buyers, density bonuses, accessory structures, reduced setback requirements, street design modifications, and zero lot lines. Where 20% of the units are affordable to households at 60% AMI or below, these incentives may apply...
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As-of-right ADU in Raleigh, NC
Date Added: Tuesday, August 31, 2021Accessory Uses , Affordable Housing
North Carolina
Municipal
Previously restricted ADU construction to a specific overlay zone, did not allow ADUs as of right in any residential zone, and required residents to petition their neighbors when seeking to develop ADUs on their property. Now, Raleigh allows ADUs as of right in all residential zones without any significant restriction on their construction or subsequent use. This promotes affordable housing and encourages diversity in both housing stock and occupancy...
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Seattle, WA Removes Barriers to ADU Development
Date Added: Tuesday, August 31, 2021Accessory Uses
Washington
Municipal
Recently enacted zoning legislation that removes significant barriers to ADU development in order to address the city’s housing crisis. The new code removes off-street parking and owner occupancy requirements while also streamlining the approval process for ADU development. Seattle also created a user-friendly website to simplify the process for its residents, connecting homeowners considering ADUs to members of the design and construction community, even addressing the high cost of ADU development through access to low-interest financing..
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West Hartford, CT Removes ADU Barriers
Date Added: Tuesday, August 31, 2021Accessory Uses
Connecticut
Municipal
West Hartford previously permitted ADUs, but the lot must have been double the size of what was required for a particular zone. Additionally, only domestic employees or guests of the primary residence owner were permitted to reside in the ADU. A new ADU ordinance was passed, setting size, material, and parking requirements. The restrictive occupancy requirements were removed...
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Miami, FL Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning
Date Added: Tuesday, August 31, 2021Affordable Housing , Incentive Zoning
Florida
Municipal
Passed a mandatory inclusionary zoning ordinance in 2018 that requires affordable units in a certain 30-block district. Because the city ranked lowest in the country for affordable rental units and climate change is forcing residents inland, Miami chose to pass this ordinance. Now, rental developments within the zone must have a minimum 7% affordable or 14% workforce housing. Both of these are designated for households earning 80% less AMI. Developers will be permitted to increase project square footage if they fulfill this requirement. In Miam..
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