Builder Magazine: Zoning

Live-Work Housing That’s More Livable—and Workable

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:42:19 EST

Mike Pyatok shares ideas about the current demand for live-work housing, and the important role that developers, architects, builders, and property managers can play in helping to change the rules.

CombiSet Indoor Grill by Miele

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:45:10 EST

Searing, grilling, and warming can be done at once with the dual heat zone capability of the CombiSet barbecue grill—and they can be done indoors.

This Kitchen's L-Shaped Footprint Allows For Public and Private Spaces

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:44:50 EST

A new kitchen in an Edwardian-style house employs traditional elements in a contemporary layout.

Greensboro, N.C., Offers One-Stop Shop for Project Review

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 12:34:17 EST

Representatives from all of the city’s planning, zoning, and technical departments are now available for consultation in one office.

Texas Court Affirms City’s Zoning Against Charges of Discrimination

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 06:59:22 EST

Ruling ends legal battle between Kyle, Texas, and the NAHB and NAACP.

New Jersey Gives Developers Way to Convert Active Adult Projects to Market Housing

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:57:37 EST

Educating municipalities about demographic and economic shifts will be critical to the approval process.

WCI Sells 102 N.Y. State Lots to Toll

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 10:54:08 EST

Five months out of bankruptcy, WCI Communities continues to reduce its debt level after emerging, by selling off assets it deigns "non-core." The company announced Tuesday it had sold off yet another asset outside its new Florida-centric comfort zone toward that end. Toll Brothers bought 102 home sites in WCI's Four Corners community in East Fishkill, N.Y., north of New York City, for $8.9 million, WCI announced, adding that it will be finishing the 23 homes it has under way in the project by the end of the year.

4,000 Acres of Unimproved Land Sells in Loudoun County

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:35:57 EST

Proving that there are exceptions to the current credo that raw land just isn't selling, more than 4,000 acres of unimproved land in Virginia's Loudoun County was sold Dec. 10.

Interview: Andres Duany on Smart Growth

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:42:21 EST

A founding father of the Congress for New Urbanism talks about zoning reform, climate change, and the fate of greenfield development.

Light Rail Isn't Always A Direct Path Towards Transit-Oriented Developement

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:44:08 EST

Density and affordability mandates for construction around stations can be roadblocks.

A Philadelphia developer shifts gears to address affordable housing

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 10:58:13 EST

OKKS Development refocuses on for-sale projects.

Rezoning Land? Cities Say OK, Economy Says No

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:29:13 EST

With the residential housing market in a dismal state, many developers are considering converting their lots or selling them for some other use.

L.A. Mayor Signs Anti-Mansionization Ordinance

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:16:00 EST

A Los Angeles zoning ordinance reduces the allowable building envelope for single-family teardowns and remodels in the city’s older neighborhoods.

Flood Rules in Flux, Part II

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:15:43 EST

Updates on Zones A, V, and Coastal A

Builders and Developers Grapple With Rising Tide of Regulations of Flood Rules

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:15:42 EST

Builders and developers grapple with rising tide of regulations.

California Legislature Considers Extension for Finalizing Subdivision Maps

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:15:24 EST

Reprieve would give builders a year or two to ride out downturn and resume work quickly when market rebounds.

Centex Finds Answer to Slow Sales in SE Florida

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:33:05 EST

While it probably doesn't qualify as a trend yet, some municipalities are more receptive to rezoning land that had been earmarked for new-home construction to be used instead for commercial and industrial development. A quick search of recent news stories around the country finds landowners in several markets who have sought rezoning that either reduces or entirely does away with the residential component of their proposal in favor of a commercial option. On a larger scale, Centex Homes recently got approval to convert 104 acres of land in Fort Pierce, Fla., on which it had intended to build 531 homes in a community called Hawk's Reserve, for light-commercial use.

Florida Builders Appeal Inclusionary Zoning Ruling

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:33:43 EST

The Florida HBA said yesterday it will appeal a recent federal ruling that upheld the city of Tallahassee's inclusionary zoning program. The builders maintained that the law, passed in 2005, constituted a physical taking of property without just compensation, violated due process, and imposed an unlawful tax. The court disagreed, striking down all three builder arguments.

Trailer Park Land Deals Put on Hold

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:29:10 EST

Commissioners in Miami-Dade County, Fla., have temporarily halted building permits for trailer park conversions in an effort to preserve the area's dwindling supply of affordable housing. The stopgap measure, which went into effect on Oct. 16, buys time for the county to compile recommendations on alternative housing solutions for displaced residents whose trailer parks are sold to make way for new development.

2007 Builder's Choice Winner: Greencity Lofts

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:28:36 EST

The developers of GreenCity Lofts had the unenviable task of dealing with two different zoning jurisdictions to get the project built, but the hard work was well worth it. The 62-unit project now stands as one of the greenest multifamily projects in the San Francisco Bay area.