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Take Action:

Speak out to support a more inclusive community. 

Public meetings like zoning hearings, town board meetings, and planning commission meetings are good opportunities to share support for new housing. These meetings are where local officials make decisions on topics ranging from individual zoning variances to community-wide comprehensive plans.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for key talking points.

Find your local board's
meeting schedule below:

Talking points:

Simple tips for speaking in
any public hearing:

  • ​Be factual and polite. 

Thank the decision-makers for their willingness to hear from the public.    

 

  • Identify yourself.   

State your name, address, and whether you support or oppose the proposal.  

 

  • Address the decision-makers.  

Direct your comments to the board or commission, not other speakers or the applicant. Use titles and last names if addressing one directly (“Chair X,” “Commissioner Y,” etc.).  

 

  • Make it personal. 

Decision-makers respond to personal stories that illustrate why something matters to you. Talk about how the proposal could affect you, your family, or the community at large.  

 

  • Know what you’re asking for. 

For hearings on specific projects, ask the board or commission to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the project. For hearings to develop city/town plans, make sure creating abundant, diverse housing is a top plan priority. In any situation, you can speak broadly about the equity, economic, and environmental benefits of building a more inclusive community.   

 

  • Prepare in advance. 

Take notes, write out your speech or bullet points, and if you can, practice in advance. Time yourself to make sure you can share your comments within any applicable time limit.

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If you’re unable to attend a meeting or uncomfortable speaking in public, you can usually submit written testimony instead.

Zoning Reform for More Housing

Onondaga County’s zoning laws make it hard to build new housing. They ban missing middle and multifamily homes from three quarters of all urbanized residential land in Onondaga County, and they require single-family homes to sit on lots at least 1 acre in size on one quarter of all urbanized residential land in Onondaga County. Zoning reform will expand opportunities to build more housing where we desperately need it.

Traffic

Sprawl causes traffic by pushing people’s home further away from the places they need to go. Zoning reforms that allow more housing will reduce traffic by shortening trips and making alternative transportation modes such walking, biking, and public transit more feasible.

Taxes

Multifamily housing generates more property tax revenue and requires less public infrastructure than single-family housing does.

Green Space

Multifamily, missing middle and starter homes preserve greenspace and reduce sprawl because these housing types use less land per home than large single-family housing does.

Neighborhood Character

Many of Onondaga County’s most beloved neighborhoods were built before zoning and contain a mix of housing types and shapes that would be illegal under most current zoning ordinances. We need zoning reform to allow traditional neighborhood development that includes the diversity of housing types necessary to accommodate our diverse community.

Learn more:

Read related reports by CNY Fair Housing

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