Atlanta homeowners face potential zoning shifts before official review begins
City Council plans to consider a new zoning proposal in December, a timeline some neighborhood leaders say leaves little time for public comment.
By Lucia Herrera ·
Residents of Atlanta are facing a potential shift in how their neighborhoods can be developed before they have had the chance to review the final rules. The city is rewriting its zoning code for the first time in four decades, a process that will determine where specific housing types, building sizes, and parking structures are allowed.
The current code has been in place since the early 1980s. In 2026, an outside consultant named Sara Bronin of Land Use Labs recommended changes to the proposed Zoning 2.0 plan. These recommendations aim to allow more housing in established areas and reduce development restrictions. The city is expected to introduce a revised proposal based on these inputs on November 23.
Neighborhood leaders have raised concerns about the speed of the process. The Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods met on November 12 to discuss the plan. Members debated how the city should grow and what drives high housing costs. Some leaders worry that a City Council committee may vote on the revised proposal in December. Formal neighborhood reviews are not scheduled to begin until January.
Mary Norwood, the District 8 City Councilwoman and chair of the Zoning Committee, addressed the group on November 12. She stated that she had only seen basic details of the consultant's work and had not reviewed the full proposal. Norwood planned to meet with Mayor Andre Dickens' office on November 13 to discuss next steps. She noted that the original Zoning 2.0 draft was difficult to understand.
"There were many good things about Zoning 2.0, but the biggest problem is just it's so complicated," Norwood said. She also voiced concerns about allowing large residential lots to be split into smaller parcels.
Public opinion on the cause of rising housing costs is divided. Florence LeCraw, an Atlanta resident, attributed high costs primarily to local restrictions. "The number one cause when you're having a big influx of people is local restrictions," LeCraw said. She acknowledged other factors but maintained that zoning is the primary barrier when population growth accelerates.
Gloria Cheatham, a resident of the Tuxedo Park neighborhood in Buckhead, disagreed. She identified income inequality as the central issue. "The real issue with respect to affordable housing is income inequality," Cheatham said. She argued that wages have not risen at the same rate as housing costs. Cheatham also cited the need to preserve existing neighborhoods and tree canopy. Both women agreed that Atlanta requires more affordable housing, but they differed on whether changing zoning laws would solve the problem. No final changes have been approved.
