FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2024
City of Kingston’s Zoning Code Wins National Award
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the City of Kingston’s form-based zoning code has won another award. This week, the Center for Zoning Solutions, a new program of Smart Growth America, announced Kingston as the winner of the 17th annual Form-Based Code Award.
The City of Kingston’s code was selected by a diverse jury that included code writers, administrators, architects, developers, and public sector planners, who called the code, a “best-in-practice model for other jurisdictions on how to center community needs, advance equity in planning, and prepare for the future, including calibrating development to accommodate increased population growth.”
Mayor Noble said, “We are incredibly proud to be honored by Smart Growth America for our forward-thinking new zoning code. This award recognizes codes that advance equitable development, people-oriented communities, and predictable development results. In Kingston’s case, the community-led initiative that resulted in the new zoning code will change how and where new development is created in Kingston in a way that will produce more equitable and sustainable development. We are already starting to see new projects that create much-needed housing, especially the crucial ‘missing middle’ and affordable development. We believe that the new code will help the City increase the size and quality of our housing stock while maintaining our historic character.”
“Kingston’s new zoning code focuses on allowing the development of new, mixed-use housing opportunities throughout the entire city to improve aspects such as walkability, housing affordability, and diversity of housing types. I am pleased that Smart Growth America has recognized not only the strength of Kingston’s vision for the future, but its ability to execute on that vision via the creation of an entirely new zoning code,” said Bartek Starodaj, Director of Housing Initiatives.
Smart Growth America’s announcement read: “Kingston’s code emphasizes a clear vision for the future. It provides transparency through its building form regulations that allow both developers and the public to have a clear sense of what types of development will be built and how new buildings will act with the city’s public spaces, including their sidewalks, squares, and parks…Kingston’s form-based code and accompanying user guide demonstrate how to advance inclusive community engagement processes and create visually compelling, accessible land use regulations. Their efforts should serve as a model for other jurisdictions looking to advance climate resiliency, housing diversity, mixed-use development, and walkability in communities across the country.”
Read the full announcement here.
In May 2024, the zoning code won both the New York State Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) Local Government Achievement Award and the 2024 Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) Charter Award.