Harvesting Benefits from Incentive Zoning
Zoning Practice — May 2025
By Jacqueline Berg, AICP
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Incentive-based zoning allows cities, towns, and counties to provide a carrot rather than a stick to the development community. Through incentive zoning regulations, local jurisdictions offer benefits to developers, such as increased density or building height, in exchange for development features that benefit the public good, such as public gathering spaces or affordable housing.
This issue of Zoning Practice explores how incentive-based zoning has evolved over the decades to become an increasingly effective tool in helping communities reach their planning goals and community vision. It begins with an overview of the origins and evolution of incentive-based zoning in the U.S. before presenting a modern, three-pronged approach, including administrative adjustments, specific-benefit-focused incentives, and planned unit developments.
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About the Author
Jacqueline Berg, AICP
Jackie is a Practice Lead at Houseal Lavigne. She works with municipalities to develop actionable plans that reflect the vision and goals of the community and to update their ordinances to ensure they are useful tools in plan implementation. In recent years, her work has focused on helping municipalities identify and remove regulatory barriers to housing production through effective and equitable community engagement, data-driven analysis, visualizations, and reality-based best practices. Her experience with both planning and zoning grounds all her work in the realities of the market and balances community aspirations with what it takes to get good development done.