DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIES FOR GOOD DEVELOPMENT

These five strategies can help cities and towns promote well-planned infill.

Clean Up and Redevelop Brownfields: Take an active role in bringing together
landowners, regulators, consultants, and technical resources to clean up brownfields.
Seek technical assistance and funding sources, and make them available to landowners. Encourage the involvement of the private sector and engage in public/private partnerships to restore the environmental and economic health of brownfield sites. Involve the community throughout the process.

Improve Financing Options: Establish funding mechanisms to support infill development, subsidize affordable housing, and reduce the risk to developers for complex rehabilitation projects. Reduce permitting fees for development in infill areas and charge higher fees for greenfield development. Identify and assist with other funding challenges.

Streamline the Approvals Process: Encourage infill development by making it simpler, faster, and less uncertain for developers to acquire permits to build in infill locations. This can be done by coordinating inter-departmental efforts, dedicating city staff to shepherd projects through the process, and shortening permitting timelines.

Get the Whole City Working Together: Ensure all city documents, such as zoning codes and capital improvement plans, are consistent with the goals outlined in the general plan or specific plans, especially around infill development. Include all government departments in plans to promote infill development.

Facilitate the Building and Construction Process: Facilitate the construction process within infill areas by making it easier and less costly to temporarily close sidewalks or streets, providing additional police support at construction sites, and ensuring timely building inspection.