Inclusionary Zoning Helps Build Housing

Inclusionary Zoning Helps Build Housing

What is Inclusionary Zoning?

Inclusionary zoning is a legal tool which encourages the private sector to construct affordable housing using good planning principles and practices on sites where it is environmentally appropriate.

Inclusionary zoning:

is created by adoption of a local ordinance which permits a residential density sufficient to justify requiring a developer to include a percentage of affordable units as part of a market rate development.
provides for affordable units which are free of any regulations beyond those needed to guarantee affordability for a minimum of 20 years for income eligible households.
serves as an incentive to developers to create affordable units when the enabling ordinance is as free as possible from unessential restrictions andexactions.

What Are the Advantages of Inclusionary Zoning?

When developed on the same site as market rate units, affordable units are indistinguishable from market rate units.

Inclusionary zoning encourages the building of affordable housing at a time when the financial resources needed to compensate for the high costs of development are shrinking

Inclusionary zoning is a simple, cost-effective means of getting affordable housing built in your community.

Note: The Town of Greenburgh recently received a prestigious award from the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation for a zoning ordinance amendment requiring 10% of units in all future multi-family developments be affordable.