WHAT IS THE INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL GOAL?

"Invest In Economic Opportunity. Implement policy recommendations regarding incremental development to encourage affordable, sustainable, and neighborhood-scale reinvestment."

Incremental development is a nationally recognized concept referring to small-scale, locally driven real estate development. Its focus is promoting development within existing neighborhoods that uses existing infrastructure and that is consistent with the existing fabric of a neighborhood. Through several City Council Study Sessions, City Council has provided direction, input and prioritization of Planning and Development Department activities to advance this Council Goal. City Council accepted three over-arching principles for implementing incremental development strategies in Champaign:

  • Expand opportunities for housing choice and affordability within neighborhoods;
  • Expand opportunities for small scale commercial development; and
  • Ensure the changes to a neighborhood's building environment are gradual and compatible with existing neighborhood design.

IMPLEMENTING THE INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL GOAL

The Champaign City Council has directed staff to prioritize the following strategies to implement the Incremental Development Council Goal. These changes include:

  • Phase 1 - Eliminate Minimum Off-Street Parking Requirements.
  • Phase 2 - Allow Missing Middle Housing in All Zoning Districts.
  • Phase 3 - Explore Building Code Amendments to Promote Additional Housing Types.

Phase 1 Zoning Ordinance Updates

The Planning and Development Department has completed a draft of the Zoning Ordinance which implements the Phase 1 Amendments. A draft of the proposed zoning amendment are available in the Document Library on this webpage. The proposed amendments will:

  • Zoning Ordinance Refresh. These amendments will make our regulations clear and easy to navigate for staff, architects, developers and residents. These changes will reorganize the entire ordinance, simplify code language, and help facilitate more by-right and administratively approved development.
  • Eliminate Minimum Parking Requirements. These amendments implement a key component of the incremental development Council Goal.
  • Set the stage for future Missing Middle Housing Amendments. These amendments will allow for future text amendments to allow Missing Middle Housing to be easily incorporated into our new revised code. Additional community engagement is necessary prior to adopting any new regulations for Missing Middle Housing.
  • Regular Zoning Ordinance Omnibus. These changes include non-controversial substantive changes as well as minor updates and corrections to the current code that would be adopted as part of our annual Zoning Ordinance Omnibus process. These amendments include the creation of a new Research Park Zoning District, amending ground floor commercial standards, aligning maximum building heights with building code requirements, and updating the lighting, landscaping ordinance, and historic preservation articles of the Zoning Ordinance.

PLAN COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

The Plan Commission held a public hearing on the proposed text amendment on Wednesday August 5, 2026 to review the language of the text amendment and consider public input on the proposed zoning changes. The Plan Commission voted to forward the proposed text amendment to City Council with a recommendation of approval. A report to Plan Commission and a recording of the meeting is available below by clicking the links below.

Report to Plan Commission open in new window
Recording of Plan Commission Public Hearing (Video) open in new window

CITY COUNCIL REVIEW

City Council will review the proposed text amendment on Tuesday September 1, 2026 at their regular 7:00 p.m. meeting. There will be an opportunity for public comment in support or opposition to the proposed text amendment.