FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)— Fort Wayne and Allen County planners revealed in November that they were working on a new zoning amendment involving cottage courtyard zoning, or pocket neighborhoods.
This amendment is the third phase of an initiative planners are working on, which aims to create various housing options with the goal of increasing inventory. The city and county hope more inventory will result in more affordable options.
What are ‘pocket neighborhoods’?
Pocket neighborhoods are small clusters of homes arranged around a shared open space, like a garden courtyard or a pedestrian walkway. Successful pocket neighborhoods have homes with large front porches, and features in the common area like a grill or seating, to encourage socialization between neighbors. Parking is usually in the rear of the homes rather than the front.
Ross Chapin, an architect based near Seattle, specializes in designing pocket neighborhoods. He estimated he has had a hand in designing 200-400 pocket neighborhoods across the world.
“It’s not the park a quarter-mile away,” Chapin said. “It’s a pocket park right outside your door.”
Examples of similar amendments
In 2021, Indianapolis made a cottage courtyard zoning amendment as a part of the city’s walkable neighborhoods revisions. Much like Fort Wayne, Indianapolis made the amendment to allow for diverse housing types in their most dense neighborhoods.
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“This is really applicable in urban areas that are looking to redevelop and knit the fabric of neighborhoods back together,” Shannon Norman, principal planner for ordinances for the City of Indianapolis, said…