Cuyahoga County recently announced the creation of the Cuyahoga County Unified Zoning Code (UZC), an effort intended to provide a shared framework for updating and maintaining local zoning regulations in participating municipalities. County Planning developed the UZC to provide communities with a tool to modernize zoning regulations and remove barriers to development. County planners developed the UZC to provide communities with a cost-effective way to break through process barriers that were impeding development efforts after officials noticed that infill development had become unreasonably burdened by an inefficient process.
Cuyahoga County is not alone in the effort to take on zoning reform and remove barriers to development. Within Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland has recently developed zoning reforms, most recently as part of an East Side Housing Innovation District initiative directed at Cleveland’s Hough, Central and St. Clair-Superior neighborhoods located between or proximate to the Cleveland CBD and University Circle and funded by a proposed TIF District (Emergency Ordinance 615-2026). The City has also been experimenting with liberalizing the regulation of Accessory Dwelling Units and prefabricated housing types to expand the housing stock in non-traditional ways. Within Ohio and nationally, numerous cities have undertaken zoning reform efforts. Also, institutions such as the Urban Land Institute and the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy have been advocating for zoning reforms of various sorts for many years now, especially focusing on those that can positively impact housing access, supply and affordability.
Across the County, outdated or confusing zoning codes impose red tape and extra costs to developers that are passed on to consumers or pose barriers to projects because there are 59 different municipalities that can have 59 different zoning and entitlement processes administered by multiple boards and commissions within each municipality. County Planning intends that the UZC will establish certainty and efficiency by eliminating conflicting code language and streamlining approval processes. Consistent with home rule, while County Planning maintains the UZC, communities that adopt the UZC would still maintain their local administrative authority.
Going forward, one of the capabilities that the UZC platform provides for is the ability for communities to adopt and adapt an overlay district for all single-family zoning classifications, along with updated code language that will (1) allow for more of existing housing stock to conform to code, and (2) streamline and encourage the infill development process. Developers working in UZC communities will be able to build to match existing setbacks of surrounding housing without requiring costly and time consuming variances.
Zoning Costs Matter
Increasing zoning code and process efficiencies can help both consumers and developers save money. For-profit developers generally must price costs into home and pass them along to consumers, whether the costs are for labor, materials or other costs such as zoning. If project costs exceed projected profits, developments are not feasible. Lack of feasibility is a formidable barrier to development, which some communities attempt to hurdle by offering public assistance.
According to a 2026 National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) study, zoning approval costs made up 5.8% of the price the builder pays for the lot, or 1.4% of new home prices. Costs associated with going beyond what developers would normally do account for 8.8% of lot price or 2.1% of the final home price. Total pre-construction regulatory costs, including the foregoing costs, add 9.4% to the price of new home prices.
Zoning requirements may also affect project timelines, an impact which adds additional costs to projects. The same NAHB study also found that zoning added a 15.1-month time lag between zoning application and commencement of site work. Time lags also translate into real financial or availability of capital impacts because developments are financed by loans with time related interest costs and investors often have return of and return on capital requirements that are turn on project timing.
While the UZC effort does not address building code, perhaps this would be a fertile area for uniform standardization as well. In Ohio, building codes are adopted at the state level, but enforced at local levels. The NAHB Study found that 8.1% of purchase prices across the country were attributable to changes in building codes over the last ten years, which indicates that municipalities should be paying attention to building codes and enforcement.
Cities Can Save Resources by Joining the UZC Consortium
Cuyahoga County’s UZC is also expected to save municipalities money in the form of reduced costs for zoning code updates. By joining the UZC Consortium, municipalities can benefit from a continuously updated ordinance, online zoning map and ongoing support for a small portion of what is normally a costly comprehensive zoning code update. As developers and contractors build familiarity with the uniform code, it will reduce friction in the market and should result in additional development for these cities at reduced costs for developers and contractors. Any movement towards consolidation and uniformity in local government in Cuyahoga County is a positive step.
Better Zoning Means More Economic Development
Nationally, an average single family home generates 2.9 jobs and $129,647 in taxes according to a 2020 NAHB Report. It goes without saying that governments at all levels should be incented by tax revenue and fiduciary obligations to increase confidence and reduce barriers, including those posed by obsolete or confusing zoning codes.
KJK represents developers and municipal clients throughout Northeast Ohio on a broad range of land use, zoning and development matters. For more information on how KJK can assist with zoning or economic development for a real estate project, please contact KJK Partners Rich Morehouse (RAM@kjk.com) or David Ebersole (DME@kjk.com).