CHARLESTON, W.Va. — At the start of Wednesday’s “Here to Serve” listening tour event, Charleston planning director Dan Vriendt addressed the 50 attendees by talking about proposed zoning changes.
Vriendt’s office wants to changes the city’s zoning laws to meet modern demands and lower costs for homeowners and renters. The office’s proposal would decrease the regulations for homebuilders and developers to allow for new houses and duplexes.
“We’re not seeing new houses built on these vacant lots. When we stepped back and looked at the reasons why, it’s because the housing is very expensive,” he said. “If we can reduce some of the barriers to lower the cost of housing, then we can spur people to come in and build on these vacant lots.”
Vriendt spoke at a forum at Ball Toyota. The city hosted the forum as part of its four-stop “Here to Serve” tour, aimed at collecting constituent comments.
Building a house in Charleston costs $130 per square foot, which Vriendt said limits how efficient someone can build a house.
Vriendt said the new policy comes after concerns involving the city’s West Side flats, which has the most vacant lots and — as Vriendt noted — the most potential for residential development in Charleston.
“We’re tearing down houses faster than they are being built back,” he said. “We’ve got to incentivize or make it affordable for people to build back in this neighborhood.”
The city Municipal Planning Commission will consider the policy change at its meeting next Wednesday before consideration by the Charleston City Council. Vriendt said the changes could become law by early March.