“Zoning is merely a tool. It can be used constructively as a positive force for community good or it can be misused.” — Edward McMahon, from “What's So Bad About Zoning?”
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Regulation of on-premise advertising signs is one important means by which a community can assert control over its physical environment. The end result is not just a more visually attractive environment, but one in which businesses can communicate more effectively to their customers.
Edward McMahon has found that many developers and environmentalists agree on at least one thing: local zoning regulations need to be more flexible.
Planning historian Larry Gerckens takes a look back at the origins of single-family-only zoning, and why its key premise of fostering good citizenship through home ownership is unsound.
Ways in which planning boards can improve their dealings with attorneys.
Most zoning ordinances segregate residential, commercial, and industrial zones. Planning historian Larry Gerckens tells how this came to be.
Attorney Mary McMaster provides an overview of “planned unit developments,” including considerations in preparing a PUD ordinance.
Land use attorney and consultant Joel Russell examines the failings of conventional zoning, and explores a way of incorporating greater flexibility into local zoning.
Attorney Bob Widner reviews the basics of “spot zoning.”
Regulation of home occupations often fails to take into account the changing nature of home businesses, impinging on the needs of many citizens.
Attorney Brett Weiss speaks to the need for more flexibility in zoning ordinances and restrictive covenants when dealing with home occupations.
Attorney Christopher Duerksen examines zoning for aesthetics, and offers some guidance for communities thinking of drafting aesthetic-based regulations.
Attorneys Martin Leitner and Elizabeth Garvin provide a planning law primer on subdivision regulation — and some background on how subdivision regulation has evolved.
How “open space” zoning can reduce the loss of farmland & open space from new development.
