Streamline the Planning & Permitting Process
Slow, unpredictable permitting drives up costs and discourages the kind of
smaller-scale development that produces attainable housing. The planning board
process should be clear, consistent, and efficient - without cutting corners on
community input.
- Advocate for a more streamlined, predictable process with the planning board
- Identify and remove unnecessary permitting delays and redundancies
- Work with nonprofits to reduce zoning and land acquisition barriers for affordable housing projects
Cut Down Zoning Requirements Where Infrastructure Already Exists
In areas already served by water and sewer, large minimum lot sizes add cost
without adding value. Allowing more housing units on existing infrastructure
is one of the most straightforward ways to increase housing supply without expanding
water and sewer infrastructure.
- Reduce minimum lot sizes in areas with existing water and sewer capacity
- Prioritize infill development over sprawl into unserved areas
Mixed-Income & Mixed-Use Development
Single-use developments leave communities more fragmented and less
walkable. Encouraging mixed-use projects creates neighborhoods
where people can live, eat, shop and work in the same place.
- Advocate for and incentivize mixed-income housing in planned developments
- Support mixed-use zoning that combines residential and commercial uses
Reduce Barriers to ADUs
Removing barriers to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), sometimes better known as backyard cottages, garage apartments and in-law suites -
gives property owners more control over how they use their land. More options for property owners means more
places for people to live, without changing the character of existing neighborhoods or needing to develop new land.
- Reduce regulatory and permitting barriers to ADU construction
- Allow ADUs by right in areas with existing water and sewer service
- Make pre-approved ADU blueprints freely available to property owners through a partnership with Isothermal Community College
A Homeless Shelter for Rutherford County
Rutherford County has no homeless shelter. Residents in crisis have nowhere local
to turn, and the gap falls hardest on the most vulnerable. The county can't solve
this alone - but it can be a committed partner to the nonprofits working toward
a solution.
- Work with local and regional nonprofits to bring a homeless shelter to the county
- Help navigate land acquisition, permitting, and zoning barriers that slow nonprofit housing efforts
- Connect shelter efforts to broader housing stability and re-entry services
