Suffolk, Virginia, planners developed an ordinance that uses

Suffolk, Virginia, planners developed an ordinance that uses “incentive zoning” to apply new urbanist planning and design principles, according to a recent editorial in The Virginian-Pilot. The city’s rapid growth and increasing residential land prices led planners to create a plan that permits developers to build more houses per acre if they create mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented developments, donate park land for open space, and create affordable housing options. The proposal also would require sidewalks on both sides of the street, and encourage parking in rear alleys. The ordinance is scheduled for a vote by city council in June, 1999.