Greensboro amends zoning regulations to spur more housing development

The city of Greensboro recently amended zoning regulations for Planned Unit Development to encourage building more housing.

The change is expected to streamline the approval process for projects that often face regulatory challenges. It will allow developers more flexibility in parking and street design, among other things.

The decision comes as the city aims to build 10,000 new housing units over the next few years.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan said at a recent City Council retreat looking at zoning reforms would be important to achieve this.

"I think what we can do is really cut through the red tape by seeing are our ordinances overburdensome," she says. "You talk to developers and they say, 'Yes.'"

The city will create a workgroup by mid-March composed of city staff and key stakeholders to help reach that goal.