The city of Dayton is asking residents about how they want to see their communities develop through its new AdaptDayton effort, a comprehensive review of zoning regulations and processes.
Zoning might not be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, but it touches nearly everything in your community, from housing affordability to traffic safety and even environmental hazards.
“A lot of people's first interaction with zoning is when they get a public notice letter or they try to put up a shed and then realize, “Oh, there are requirements here,’” said Jeff Green, a planner for the city of Dayton. “Zoning sets the development guidelines for new buildings and uses, so that's why you don't find junkyards right next to residential homes.”
Municipalities update their zoning regulations to ensure they continue to meet the needs of residents and businesses.
For Dayton, the zoning code and map were adopted in 2006 and haven’t been significantly updated since.
“The zoning code is 20 years old,” Green said. “That's ancient in zoning terms.”
Dayton has long been recognized for its affordable cost of living, but Daytonians have recently seen rising home prices and rents. According to the AdaptDayton proposal,
- the typical home value in Dayton has jumped 34% since 2020
- and, as of 2023, almost one-third of Dayton renters and homeowners were spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
“Zoning impacts not only infrastructure, but housing,” said Ellen Sizer, a planner for the city of Dayton. “How one moves, how things are interconnected, the types of housing, the urban density, the affordability. Hopefully zoning acts like a balancing tool for all these things to work together.”
Planners say that Dayton now has the opportunity to provide the types and amount of housing to match what residents want and need, which could include making it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and increasing the number of multi-family homes.
Visit AdaptDayton.com to learn more about the effort and to take a quick survey to provide feedback on how you want to see the zoning code change.
“My nine-year-old took it and could generally pretty much understand everything,” Green said. “We made it as easy as possible. So no matter your expertise or understanding of zoning, you can take it.”
