Mayor Justin Bibb is pushing for an overhaul of Cleveland zoning code in favor of what his administration argues is a streamlined, more flexible set of building rules.
The City Planning Commission on Friday signed off on four pilots of the administration’s proposed zoning rules, termed “form-based code.”
Bibb made a personal appeal to the commission Friday morning. He argued the form-based code pilots, coupled with a policy passed last year easing parking requirements near transit, would promote new housing and businesses.
“These two initiatives are big for my administration, they’re big for the city of Cleveland, and they are truly big for making our vision as a 15-minute city come closer to reality,” Bibb said.
The city’s form-based code focuses on the general style of buildings rather than their uses. While the new code would separate land uses in some places, it also encourages mixing residential, commercial and light industrial projects in others. The end result is more amenities closer together.
“We wonder, ‘Why do we not have a dentist’s office?’ or, ‘Why can’t we go to the bank?’ or, ‘Why can’t we go get coffee?’” Chief City Planner Shannan Leonard said at the meeting. “Zoning plays a part in what you can do where.”
The pilots are located in the Hough neighborhood, the Fairfax neighborhood, around the Opportunity Corridor and in the Detroit-Shoreway and Cudell neighborhoods.
Members of the administration argued the new code would allow a wider variety of housing types and prices. The code could also allow more projects to happen faster, without the lengthy process of obtaining zoning variances.
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FAQ: Form-based code, a zoning reform plan coming to Cleveland
The Cleveland Planning Commission (CPC) is preparing to introduce form-based codes, an alternative to the zoning codes the city has relied on for generations. This shift will transform the decision-making processes that determine what gets built and where. Here’s a look at what it means.
Reaction from council, residents
The proposal received a mixed reaction from those who packed the planning commission’s room on the fifth floor of City Hall. Proponents welcomed the changes as a long-overdue update to Cleveland’s old zoning rules. Opponents asked for the city to give residents more time to weigh in on the idea.
Ward 15 Council Member Jenny Spencer floated the idea of creating a citizen advisory board for the new system. She expressed her worries that a faster pace of development would intensify the pressure to move that residents of the Cudell neighborhood already face.
“People in my neighborhoods are actively being displaced due to rising rents and increasing property taxes,” she said, adding, “So there’s a real and legitimate concern that an overheated market could accelerate the pace of that displacement and attract speculators.”
Sonya Shakir, a homeowner in Fairfax, said she hopes to build a one-level home so she can stay in the neighborhood as she ages. Currently, the building process is hard to navigate inside City Hall, she said.
“There’s no one-stop shop to go to say, ‘Hey, I’m looking to build,’” Shakir said. “I have to go to this department and that department just to learn all of these things.”
Hough resident Vickie Williams said she supported the idea halfway. While she’d like more amenities in the neighborhood, she also prefers single-family homes, she said.
“I do want to be able to go to restaurants and coffee shops in my neighborhood,” she said. “However, I do not want large apartment buildings. I do not want it where investors come in and they build large structures, and there’s no parking and it affects the neighborhood.”
Cleveland City Council will take up the proposal next. It is not yet on council’s hearing agenda.