Sacramento Effectively Ended Single-Family Exclusive Zoning. But That’s Not All.
(Source: Wikimedia Commons/Ron Reiring.)
In the last days of November 2023, Sacramento City Council unanimously approved a set of changes that will allow the California capital to meet its housing demands. In the 9–0 vote—complimented by a 30–0 support from public comment—the council welcomed what amounts to a new form-based code and a vision for thickening up plots within a half mile of existing and planned transit.
“This will not only help solve the housing crisis now, but it helps future-proof the city against the next housing crisis, and the one after that.” Ben Raderstorf, a policy advocate and board member of Sacramento YIMBY celebrated on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The form based code, Emily Hamann explained in the Sacramento Business Journal, would encourage density and adaptation while maintaining a sense of the neighborhood. “The changes will get rid of zoning designations that restrict the number of residential units that can be built on a lot, and instead base restrictions on the overall size of the building.”
Elsewhere in the country, form-based code has jumpstarted revitalization projects where more conventional, or Euclidean, zoning stood in the way. For example, in Rust Belt cities like Buffalo, Akron, and South Bend, adopting a form-based code allowed for the rehabilitation and adaptation of historic structures. Centrally located warehouses that have long been defunct went from being a local eyesore to a combination of apartments and restaurants. Postcard-perfect main streets could now accommodate a richer mix of businesses, housing, and offices without sacrificing their charm. As a result, residents of these cities were returned the opportunity to live closer to where they work, study, and play.
Yet, it’s worth noting that the meeting that produced the unanimous approval didn’t strongly feature the terms, “single family,” “form-based code,” or even “density.” Instead, Sacramento’s City Council and the public tuning in was deliberating increasing the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), an often overlooked opponent to density. The FAR is calculated by dividing the total floor area of the building by the area of the lot.
For housing advocates, FAR is another arbitrary limitation on density. Much like with parking mandates, there is no science underpinning FAR equations. In a famous example, if New York City’s Empire State Building were to be torn down and rebuilt today, it would reach a fraction of the height that wrought its fame because of contemporary FAR restrictions.
As Radestorf pointed out on X, in adopting these changes, Sacramento effectively ended single-family zoning. That doesn’t spell the end of single-family homes, but it means that homeowners, business owners, and developers will no longer be subject to the regime of restrictions that single-family zoning produces.
Asia (pronounced “ah-sha”) Mieleszko serves as a Staff Writer for Strong Towns. A dilettante urbanist since adolescence, she's excited to convert a lifetime of ad-hoc volunteerism into a career. Her unconventional background includes directing a Ukrainian folk choir, pioneering synaesthetic performances, photographing festivals, designing websites, teaching, and ghostwriting. She can be found wherever Wi-Fi is reliable, typically along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.