Zoning Modernization

Understanding zoning is the first step to making sense of how communities grow, change, and function. These Zoning 101 resources are designed to make the basics clear and accessible, and includes guides and definitions to help you navigate zoning concepts with confidence.

This toolkit from HousingForward Virginia includes the history of zoning both in the U.S. and in Virginia specifically, how zoning works, and the effects it has on housing affordability. This guide shares information from the Albemarle County Land Use Law Handbook, authored by former County Attorney Greg Kamptner!

Read this CityLab University article for a brief history of zoning in the United States, plus a glossary of terms “key to understanding this wonky-but-important arena of law and policy.”

This Cracking the Zoning Code feature from The Urban Institute reviews parts of zoning codes, how zoning works, and how reforms to zoning maps, codes, and procedures could improve housing affordability and racial equity.

The Center for Urban Pedagogy’s “What is Zoning?” free-to-download book focuses on zoning in New York City, but it’s a good initial overview of zoning policies in an easy-to-read format.

This “Zoning Basics” article from Planning Commissioners Journal columnists Mike Chandler and Greg Dale includes an overview of the purposes of zoning, the structure of a typical zoning ordinance, and the principal players in the “zoning universe.” With sidebars on key zoning-related legal issues, this article is for those looking for a more text-heavy overview.

This in-depth analysis, published in the GWU Law School Public Law Review, investigates five key statewide findings about zoning conditions across Virginia.

Videos:

• A high-level overview of zoning codes from Planetizen
• City Beautiful shares the basics of zoning codes
• The City of Madison Wisconsin's Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development share the key differences between Future Land Use maps and Zoning Maps.
  
  

Looking for more? Here are some additional materials to consider if you’re really looking to dive into zoning!

• Links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of zoning, from the National Association of Realtors.

Zoning is a tool that localities use to govern the physical development of land and the kinds of uses allowed on individual property. Zoning may also regulate the dimensional requirements for lots, buildings, and structures; the density of development; and how development relates to its surroundings, including other buildings, open spaces, and the street. Zoning is regulated under Virginia State Code §15.2, Chapter 22, Article 7.

Zoning Can:

• Divide land into districts for different uses, such as industrial, commercial, and residential.
• Regulate the size and type of building that can be constructed in each district.
• Require development standards, such as screening and setbacks, to minimize impacts on adjacent property.
• Protect sensitive resources from inconsistent or harmful use.
• Enhance community character with signage, parking, and landscaping standards. Support affordable housing and economic development goals.

Zoning Cannot:

• Change or correct land use or buildings already in existence.
• Guarantee that development will take place.
• Assure that land uses will be permanent.
• Treat similar uses differently within a district. Ensure property is maintained. (This is accomplished through other means, such as Virginia Maintenance Code and Blight Abatement.)
• Guide public or private investment in infrastructure.