Enhanced City Ordinances Could Help Boost Business Downtown

According to the Pilot, Norfolk's Department of Planning is in the process of updating approximately 50 city regulations that have generally been holding small businesses back, as well as the city overall.  

CC Image courtesy of JoeInSouthernCA on Flickr

Some of these updated ordinances include:

• Requiring developers to provide parking for bikes
• Zoning changes to minimize flooding
• Modifying the city's special exemption process
• Creating different parking and open space standards to prevent "seas of surface parking"
• Permitting used bookstores and consignment shops downtown