ATLANTA – In an effort to provide oversight for appropriate and orderly neighborhood development, the Atlanta City Council today unanimously approved a major compromise zoning proposal after months of negotiations.

The Council amended the 1982 Zoning Ordinance to provide new limits on infill housing, an issue that has plagued city neighborhoods as Atlanta experiences an influx in new residents and property values soar.

For a variety of reasons old homes are torn down only to be replaced with a new and often larger building. This process of building new homes in established neighborhoods is referred to as "infill housing".

The compromise, approved by a vote of 14 to 0 (Legislative Reference # 07-O-0642), includes only those recommendations that were agreed upon by the following: The Infill Development Panel of Professionals (consisting of architects, homebuilders, realtors, planners and preservationists), the Mayor’s Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Committee, and the City’s Department of Planning and Development.

The legislation addresses the following elements of infill housing:

The new regulations have been adopted after more than five years of analysis and debate by City Planning Department officials, members of an infill housing task force, The American Institute of Architects-Atlanta Chapter, the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association, the Atlanta Board of Realtors, Urban Planning and Preservationists, and residents. All regulations were vetted with drawings showing the practical application of each regulation.

“The legislation clarifies and closes many loopholes in the 1982 zoning ordinance,” said Post 2 At-Large, City-wide Council Representative Mary Norwood.

Norwood said that the desirability of city living in Atlanta has led to the remodeling and redevelopment of many existing residential structures as well as the purchase structures for demolition in order to re-use the lot for a new building. With the preservation of neighborhoods is a high priority for both the City Council and the Administration, this new legislation can help protect the quality of life for all city citizens.

“This legislation will allow our residents to continue to build and renovate to today's lifestyle preferences, and it provides some degree of oversight for appropriate and orderly development," Norwood said.

The above legislation and a complete list of other items on the council’s agenda can be viewed in their entirety on the Web at:
http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/2007/Fca820.htm

All adopted legislative items and any amendments to those items or substitute papers can be viewed at:
http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/captions/

City council minutes can be viewed at:
http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/minutes2.htm

Live video or archived video of the Atlanta City Council can be viewed at:
http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/video.htm