Zoning Ordinance to Build More Housing

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Let’s Build More Housing, Detroit

The City of Detroit is proposing zoning updates to help build more housing, reduce upward pressure on housing costs, and level the playing field for small,  (local developers.

These updates primarily affect areas in the R2 zoning designation.

Why is Detroit proposing these changes?

  1. Make it easier to build housing & help more housing get built.

    Detroit needs at least 1,100 more housing units per year to keep up with demand. When housing is scarce, more people compete for existing homes & prices rise. Building more housing will help reduce upward pressure on housing costs and keep prices lower.

  2. Level the playing field for small, local developers and residents to build.  

    Detroit’s 936-page code makes it very challenging to build housing. Most projects require special approval from the City; this gives large developers that can afford attorneys & consultants an advantage over small developers that do not have the same resources.

    These changes will help small developers that typically work in the neighborhoods.

  3. Allow diverse housing options that meet the needs of all Detroiters and restore types of housing originally built in Detroit.

    Detroit residents have diverse housing needs based on their life situation, and housing needs change over the course of a person’s life, from college to parenthood to seniors.

    Changes allow housing types that serve all needs. The proposal is also restorative: the types of housing that would be allowed already exist in Detroit. They were commonly built in Detroit before current, restrictive rules took effect during urban renewal.

Which parts of the City have R2 zoning?

 

R2 Zoning

 

What would these changes allow?

  1. Allow more types of housing in some districts:
    • In R2: triplexes, quads & townhouses
    • In R2 – R6: accessory dwelling units (i.e., carriage houses)
    • On commercial corridors (B2, B4): apartment buildings
  2. Make it easier to rebuild housing on vacant lots by allowing sizing, spacing, and housing types that match earlier homes in the neighborhood
  3. Give flexibility on the size of the parking lot in targeted cases (e.g., small businesses, projects with sensible approach, in some areas only multi-family housing)

What community engagement has the City done on this proposal?

  • 18 community meetings so far: citywide, district-by-district, and neighborhood-specific
  • 8+ more scheduled during the rest of October

How would they affect my district or neighborhood?

Read a district-specific briefing explaining these changes:

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