As Emporia continues to battle its housing shortage, the city commission discussed the possibility of decreasing lot sizes in a potential development area. At its study session Wednesday morning, the commission heard a proposal from planning and zoning specialist Justin Givens to create a Housing Opportunity Overlay in a 16.8-acre vacant parcel of land directly east of the intersection of Soden’s Road and South Exchange Street. A Housing Opportunity Overlay would allow a developer to decrease lot sizes from the 9,000 square feet minimum requirement in city codes to 5,800 square feet, which would consequently increase the number of residential units that could be built within the area.
Source: Emporia Gazette
