In practice, Houston's development policy isn't as
different as advertised from that of other major American cities. In the
ways it does differ, it may allow for denser urban development rather
than causing more sprawl into flood-prone areas.
While most cities control land use though their zoning
codes, Houston's existing regulations serve a similar function. Its
sprawling freeways and roads are accompanied by onerous parking
requirements, just like the zoned cities of Los Angeles, Seattle,
Chicago and Dallas. Each bedroom in a Houston apartment building must
come with
1.25 parking spots. Restaurants must have eight spots per 1,000 square feet and bars must provide 10 spots per 1,000 square feet.
Houston policy also requires that buildings have large setbacks from
street lines. These policies work together to lead developers to build
surface lots in front of their buildings rather than landscaping or
making more efficient use of their land with parking garages. Combined
with its parking requirements, Houston's setback mandates make it much
more difficult to provide denser urban development.
Additionally, Houston has minimum lot size requirements that
function much the same
as the single-family zoning that most U.S. cities use to block
development of multifamily housing in existing neighborhoods. In parts
of Houston, homes must sit on lots that are at least 5,000 square feet.
This rule, combined with Houston's highway network and
government-mandated parking lots, outlaws compact development outside of
the city center.
There are some ways in which Houston is legitimately
lenient in its zoning regulation, yet these can encourage, not
discourage, the type of dense development its critics are calling for.
Houston's absence of a zoning map has allowed the city to
accommodate more housing and people within its city limits over time.
In 1999, city policymakers implemented a reduction in minimum lot size
requirements from
5,000 to 1,400 square feet
for the part of the city that lies within Interstate 610. This has made
it legal for developers to replace single-family homes with townhomes,
allowing more people to live downtown rather than in new suburban
development.
Houston's relatively
laissez faire
land-use policy has made it possible for the city to accommodate
500,000 additional residents within its borders in the past 30 years.
This compares to just 100,000 new residents in San Francisco, another
city with very high housing demand but without Houston's relative
permissiveness toward development.
Rather than exacerbating flooding, Houston's lack of
zoning has reduced pressure for development on the outskirts of the city
relative to what we would see if the city enforced greater barriers to
housing development like other American cities do. If the prairie
surrounding Houston is a sponge with the potential to protect Houston
from flooding, even greater freedom to build homes within its city
limits is the key to preserving these grasslands."
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