By Christian Britschgi | Reason
Environmentalists have managed to reverse America’s leading “yes in my backyard” (YIMBY) success story. A Minnesota judge ruled this week that Minneapolis must halt the implementation of a wide range of zoning reforms until it performs an environmental analysis of the increased home construction and urban density they allow.
“The record supports the inescapable conclusion that [the city’s zoning changes] would have such potential for significant environmental effects that it is likely to affect the environment materially adversely, causing irreparable harm,” wrote Hennepin County Judge Joseph R. Klein in a Tuesday decision.
Changes the city will now have to pump the brakes on include its first-in-the-nation abolition of single-family-only zoning, the ending of minimum parking requirements for new residential buildings, and the legalization of larger apartment buildings in more areas of the city.
