Zoning Archives

Against a backdrop of rising rents nationwide and a lack of housing supply in major cities, suburbs, and rural areas, leaders in Washington, DC are devoting significant time and attention to addressing the affordable housing crisis. President Biden, in his March 7th State of the Union address, called for Congress to enact his plan to “build and renovate two million affordable homes and bring…rents down.”

In theory, building codes, zoning and urban planning make up the engine that drives municipal growth. Born from progressive-minded responses to early 20th-century public health crises, the first wave of these defined zoning codes was passed starting around 1908.

Embedded within the real estate adage, “Location, Location, Location,” is the all-important, yet oft-overlooked zoning.