Environmentally Sensitive Development
Edward McMahon has found that many developers and environmentalists agree on at least one thing: local zoning regulations need to be more flexible.
Zoning & Land Use Regulations
“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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Single-Family-Only Zones
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.
Legal Issues Facing Planning Commissions & Zoning Boards
Ways in which planning boards can improve their dealings with attorneys.
American Zoning & the Physical Isolation of Uses
Most zoning ordinances segregate residential, commercial, and industrial zones. Planning historian Larry Gerckens tells how this came to be.
Planned Unit Developments
Attorney Mary McMaster provides an overview of “planned unit developments,” including considerations in preparing a PUD ordinance.
Rethinking Conventional Zoning
Land use attorney and consultant Joel Russell examines the failings of conventional zoning, and explores a way of incorporating greater flexibility into local zoning.
Seeing Spots
Attorney Bob Widner reviews the basics of “spot zoning.”
Zoning for Home Offices: Recognizing Reality
Regulation of home occupations often fails to take into account the changing nature of home businesses, impinging on the needs of many citizens.
Restricting Home Occupations
Attorney Brett Weiss speaks to the need for more flexibility in zoning ordinances and restrictive covenants when dealing with home occupations.
Zoning for Aesthetics
Attorney Christopher Duerksen examines zoning for aesthetics, and offers some guidance for communities thinking of drafting aesthetic-based regulations.
An Introduction to Subdivision Regulations
Attorneys Martin Leitner and Elizabeth Garvin provide a planning law primer on subdivision regulation — and some background on how subdivision regulation has evolved.
“Open Space” Zoning: What It Is & Why It Works
How “open space” zoning can reduce the loss of farmland & open space from new development.
Zoning for Family Day Care
Affordable, conveniently located child care is in great demand. Yet many communities’ zoning ordinances preclude, or make it difficult to provide, family day care in residential zones.
