Proposals to boost housing in Atlanta are fueling a drive in the Buckhead section to secede from the city.
“Changes now being proposed by the City of Atlanta would subdivide residential lot sizes, increase housing density, decimate the tree canopy, tangle traffic, and strain resources,” reads the web site of the Buckhead City Committee, the organization aiming to form a new city. “Such devastation, proposed ostensibly to increase ‘affordable housing’ will only enrich developers at the cost of Buckhead’s livability.”
The zoning changes have been proposed while city planners look to a future that could mean a doubling of the city’s population to 1.2 million by 2050. City leaders would like to convert more single-family homes into multifamily dwellings. Today, about 60% of the city’s residential zones restrict such arrangements.
City leaders propose rezoning areas within a half-mile radius of public transit stations to encourage construction of moderate-sized apartment buildings nearby. One to four units per building would be the standard, but a developer could build up to eight units if one of them is below-market rate, and as many as 12 if two or more are below-market.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 27, 2021
Texas reforms series of contractor laws
Measures seen as making it easier to do business in the state.
Codes and Standards | Oct 26, 2021
Drownings during Hurricane Ida point out FEMA flood map flaws
Eleven people drowned in New York City in areas marked as low risk.
Codes and Standards | Oct 26, 2021
Dept. of Energy’s REScheck tool updated for the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code
Previous version incorporated 2018 code.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2021
New York City passes overhaul of construction codes
Over 600 major changes along with thousands of smaller updates slated for 2022.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2021
One-quarter of U.S. critical infrastructure at risk of failure due to flooding
Police and fire stations, hospitals, airports, and wastewater treatment facilities face threat.
Codes and Standards | Oct 19, 2021
Pittsburgh enacts first-in-the-nation “Dark Sky Lighting” law
Applies to all city parks, facilities, and streetlights.
Codes and Standards | Oct 15, 2021
New Calif. law mandates use of lead-free plumbing fixtures
Must meet NSF/ANSI/CAN 61-2020 in 2023.
Codes and Standards | Oct 14, 2021
Building industry leaders urge governments to boost emissions reductions targets
Scores of large AEC firms and organizations sign letter to UN’s COP 26 group.
Codes and Standards | Oct 13, 2021
FEMA’s new flood insurance plan will sharply raise insurance costs for seaside properties
Risk Rating 2.0 will have more accurate assessment of flood risk.
Codes and Standards | Oct 12, 2021
Three new laws expected to spur more affordable housing in California
Trio of measures could aid carbon reduction in built environment.