Newark City Council wants to change its zoning laws to boost affordable housing options with the help from a state-funded program, but remain protective of some restrictions.
Senate Joint Resolution 8 established a pilot program through the Delaware State Housing Authority to help municipalities become more friendly to diverse housing supply solutions.
Newark City Councilmembers previously identified a few areas they’d like to focus on with a third party advisor. That includes growing “missing middle” housing stock, or buildings with multiple units in walkable neighborhoods.
Newark’s advisor is Savannah Edwards from the Rossi Group.
“Thinking not just of high rise or even mid rise apartment buildings, but what are those transition kind of steps in between – duplexes that can either be side by side or stacked above and below each other, fourplex units, cottage courtyards, different strategies for townhouses that might be more appropriate for infill,” Edwards said.
Mayor Travis McDermott said he wants to “maintain the quality of life” for existing communities, particularly people like himself living in single-family detached neighborhoods.
“I don't think that we should be going into anybody's community and saying, ‘I know you bought into a single family neighborhood, however we're changing it,’” McDermott said. “... I support stacked apartments in certain areas, and I can think of things maybe along Chapel Street or you know maybe Wilbur Street, where there's some houses that are really old that we need to take down eventually.”
Other Councilmembers showed stronger support for missing middle housing.
But Councilmember Corinth Ford drew the line at by-right missing middle housing, which would change zoning regulations to allow some housing builds to be streamlined.
“I would not want to see it by right,” Ford said. “I'm against anything that eliminates public hearings because for any subdivision, all subdivisions should get public hearings, and the people of the city should have the right to have input into what gets built into this city.”
Ford also showed some resistance to allowing the development of more accessory dwelling units but admitted the city will have to accept some forms.
She says that’s due to Senate Bill 23, which requires local governments to allow ADUs “without prohibitive barriers.”
Edwards said other historical communities like West Chester and Kennett Square allow infill development on smaller scales for townhomes or attached homes.
Edwards’s suggestions also saw some resistance from Councilmembers wanting to incentivize developers to build for permanent residents, not just students.
