Duplex rezoning

[sleek98]

So the vacant land behind us that is currently zones for single family homes is now in the process of being rezoned to 48 Two-Family homes.

We had a similar issue at our last house, it was zoned two family and was supposed to be rezoned single family, but once the single family lots sold they dropped the rezoning and built 100 duplexs the next summer.

Has any one successfully gotten their city to not change the zoning from Single Family to Two family? If so what method/argument worked the best?

 

[driftpin]

See if it agrees with the future land use plan. if it doesn't, here in Florida that would have to undergo modification before any zoning change.

 

[steveo1o9]

Contact the town/city and attend the public hearings and voice your opinion if you haven't already missed them. Notify your neighbors and get them to voice thier opinions as well.

 

[kbs2244]

Rezoning has to go through a public hearing process.
Most successful opposition deals with lowering land values and thus taxes.
Most successful rezones show higher density means more tax income.

 

[firebirdparts]

Show up at the public hearing. If you want to, pester all your neighbors to show up too. You tell the zoning committee you don't want it done. They might say no.

 

[driftpin]

Reasons I can see why they will approve it:

* more housing in a tight market
* more taxable real estate
* 'affordable housing'
* politically-connected developer who has a track record of successful projects in the community. You might want to research the political contributions they have made to the local elected officials. Look at the papers of incorporation for the developer who's pushing for the re-zoning, you'll find the info on officers of the corporation, and can search the public records of elected officials for matches, but if they have their secretaries making the donations, you're not gonna easily make that connection.
* some type of area improvement where they got a community development block grant and they're looking to revitalize an underutilized parcel

 

[vavet]

I lived in a duplex community in a suburb of Nashville. I was renting. The people on the other side of the wall owned. I don't know the breakdown of renters/owners. My landlords lived across the street from me. It was a nice, affordable, well-kept community.
Most people imagine a mirror image from one side to the other. Not all the houses in my community were like that. Some of them looked like split levels, but when you looked closer, you realized there were two front doors and two driveways.
I guess what I'm saying is that it might not really matter. Think about what your opposition to 2-family homes is.

 

[sleek98]

My main opposition to duplex homes is the amount of trash (literally garbage that we had to pick up daily off our front lawn), and crime (our cars were broken into a few times) that came with the duplexes once they were built across the street at my old house. Also our neighborhood is houses ranging from $400,000 to $1.8 million in value. I am at the lower end of that range.

I know not all places are like that and I even owned a duplex for a few years as my first house, but the amount of people who just don't care seems to far outweigh the people who do in my experience.

I spoke with the city rep for the project for a while yesterday. They messed up on the letters sent out. The property that backs up to our house will be single family homes on 1/2 acre lots (my lot is almost 1.4 acres). Across the main road (we live on a corner) they are wanting to to go from our property line south (our house faces north) and build the 48 duplexes there. They are also supposed to be 55+ and owner occupied. If that is true and they stick with it, then I think the issues I am concerned about will be minimized.

I looked into the future plan and it is slated as a mixed development area, in that zone there are already 200 duplexes built and 73 single family homes built.