Inclusionary Zoning and Housing Market Outcomes

View the Hearing Recording Here

Emily Hamilton testified before the Cincinnati City Council Equitable Growth and Housing Committee at its April 14th meeting. In her presentation she explained her research on the effects of Inclusionary Zoning on housing market outcomes in the Baltimore-Washington region. In the face of high and rising house prices, some localities are turning to inclusionary zoning as a way to increase affordable housing. Under mandatory inclusionary zoning, housing developers are required to provide a portion of affordable housing units in new market-rate developments. Typically these programs include density bonuses, which give developers the right to build more housing than would otherwise be permitted, to partially or fully offset the cost of providing subsidized units. Optional inclusionary zoning programs give developers incentives to provide subsidized units in exchange for density bonuses.