Laserfiche WebLink
and, <br />and' ~, _ _ <br />tfie+s <br />us~ Planned Unit Develo meat: A New <br />°~ Subdivision Cance t P <br />P <br />un- <br />by <br />lTlilliam C. Brown ** <br />by ~ <br />Zoning laws have produced common Iand use patterns observ- <br /> <br />ney able throughout -.the country. Large lot, single family zoning <br /> prevails in the "better parts of town." These areas .are ringed <br /> by smaller lot single family zoning, and the pattern moves <br />down <br /> . <br />the scale of desirability to apartment, commercial,-office, and <br /> manufacturing districts. <br /> Unfortunatelyt few zoning ordinances anticipate future needs <br /> of the community, nor is zoning widely used as a tool in planning <br /> and controlling the inevitable growth of a community.. Ugly com- <br /> mercial strips and poorly-constructed subdivisions are some <br /> examples of this failure. <br /> As our municipalities grow, surrounding raw land becomes <br /> ripe for development. Because of common zoning practice <br />: this <br /> , <br />land is invariably zoned for large lot single-family homes. But <br /> this exclusive use is out of phase with current h©nsing needs in <br />' <br /> most of <br />these same communities. For example, in 1969, al- <br />most half of all new housing units were apartm <br />t <br /> en <br />s. <br />-:But we,, all know what happens when a developer seeks to <br /> <br />' change existing zoning in order to'satisfy thismarket. .Local <br />> citizens become: outraged when someone mentions the <br />possibility <br /> . <br />of mixing apartments and public facilities in an-.area previously <br /> reserved for detached houses. And as most builders do not have <br /> the :money, innagination or energy ° to fight the zoning game, <br />they will most often follow the letter of the zoxung law and build <br /> * Reprinted .with permission. from the October 1972 issue of New <br />Hampshire Town and City, 84 South Street, ~', 0. Boa 617 <br />Concord <br />Naw <br /> , <br />, <br />Hampshire 03300. Annual $S.OO; single copy 50 cents. <br /> ** Staff associate for Human Resouxce Development, Missouri Municipal <br />League. - <br /> 34fi <br />