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Nov 17, 2022 · What Houston does have is “de facto” zoning, with a variety of land use regulations, from height restrictions to minimum lot size requirements, to historic districts.
- They DO have land use regulations. Despite their reputation as the city without zoning, they do regulate a myriad of land use issues such as density, buffering, lot size, and historic preservation through their Planning and Development Department.
- Unincorporated Towns. It’s important to note there are numerous unincorporated towns within and surrounding the Houston metro area. And while these towns have their own land use codes, if they lie within the very large Houston annexation area, they will be subject to some of Houston’s ordinances, like subdivision laws, in addition to their town’s land use codes.
- The Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. Houston also has something called a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. Designed to establish and attract new investments, these areas retain property tax revenue for uses within their borders.
- Houston has no Comprehensive Plan. This isn’t earth-shattering news, but the absence of a comprehensive plan means there is no policy document to inform ordinance creation.
There are some promising approaches that could make more affordable land and units available, however. The Houston Land Bank was recently reorganized and is now working to reuse tax-delinquent properties it acquires for the public good, including affordable housing. In 2018, the nonprofit Houston Community Land Trust launched, with a mission to ...
Sep 14, 2023 · Houston does not have a traditional zoning code and instead regulates local land use through a system of citywide ordinances. In 1998, policymakers approved an ordinance to allow building on smaller lots, reducing the minimum lot size in the urban core from 5,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet—or to 1,400 square feet for parcels meeting certain standards for open space.
Nov 25, 2020 · Using data from the Harris County Appraisal District, Gray and Millsap reveal that the reforms unleashed a housing boom among residential parcels between 1,400 and 5,000 square feet. Comparing new development in 1997 to the peak building year in 2005, Gray and Millsap show that building activity rose more than 300 percent.
22 hours ago · She says that the government’s approval process could delay building by up to two years, but the process of planning housing does not necessarily become more community-oriented or responsive to the needs of residents during that time. Part of this is because Houston does not have zoning laws.
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Aug 17, 2020 · Houston Land Use Regulation in Context. Houston famously does not enforce traditional zoning laws, which broadly restrict densities and segregate land uses. In fact, it is the only major American city without zoning, which was heavily promoted by the US Department of Commerce beginning in the 1920s. Houston voters rejected the policy in three ...
