Special to The Times
Less-strict residential zoning standards, such as those limiting an area to single-family housing, would make homes cheaper in the future, according to a survey of Ohio economists published on Monday.
A poll of the Ohio Experts Panel by Scioto Analysis, found that 22 of 26 economists agreed that such a move would reduce housing costs. Some even argued that it would make for better neighborhoods.
“It is efficient to allow multi-family units to be built anywhere and allow mixed residential and businesses to allow ‘walkable’ neighborhoods,” University of Toledo economist Kevin Egan commented as part of the survey.
Ohio Economists: Relax Zoning to Lower Housing Costs
A panel of Ohio economists make the case for more multi-family housing and businesses in single-family neighborhoods. April 22, 2021, 6am PDT | James Brasuell | Less-strict residential zoning standards […] would make homes cheaper in the future, according to an article by Marty Schladen.
Schladen is sharing the results of a survey of the Ohio Experts Panel by Scioto Analysis. Of the 26 economists surveyed, 22 agreed that removing exclusionary and Euclidean zoning regulations would reduce housing costs. Some even argued that it would make for better neighborhoods, writes Schladen. Rigid zoning standards in residential areas have been criticized for driving up costs and excluding people with lesser incomes perhaps intentionally. They often exclude all but single-family homes and sometimes impose minimum lot sizes, two measures virtually guaranteed to increase costs, writes Schladen.