Disaster housing preparedness planning and zoning and land use reform for cities and towns now available

Dover, Delaware – Sept. 18, 2025 – The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) has launched two pilot programs to provide free technical assistance to local governments. The programs will help cities, counties and towns in Delaware prepare for a smoother post-disaster recovery process and modernize zoning and land-use policies aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing.

The Zoning and Land Use Reform Pilot Program was created through the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 8. It will offer technical assistance to municipalities interested in modernizing their zoning and land use codes, with the goals of encouraging a greater variety of housing types, promoting compact, mixed-use development, and addressing housing affordability challenges.

“We are excited to support local jurisdictions that want to partner with us to create smarter communities, lower housing costs, and better serve Delawareans,” said Director Matthew J. Heckles. “The technical assistance pilot program has big potential to address the housing supply crisis. We need a variety of housing that serves working families in Delaware. By participating with us, jurisdictions get the help they need to improve their zoning laws in away that makes their communities thrive.”

Participation in the pilot is voluntary, and local governments, working directly with a technical assistance provider, will be able to select reforms they choose to pursue from a menu including:

• Permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and “missing middle” housing in residential zones
• Permit manufactured/modular homes in single-family residential zones
• Create pre-reviewed design plans or “pattern books”
• Reduce lot sizes and bulk standards to achieve greater density
• Allow taller multifamily and mixed-use developments
• Establish an inclusionary zoning program for affordable/workforce housing
• Permit higher-density, mixed-use developments in commercial areas

This pilot program provides an opportunity for local governments to do this difficult and time-consuming work with someone well-versed in the field, who can help provide the working knowledge to make changes. Participating municipalities must commit to assigning a dedicated staff person to work with the technical assistance provider, selecting one or more reform ideas from the options menu, attending mandatory workshops and meetings, and pledging to pursue their selected reforms.

The deadline to apply to participate in the Zoning and Land Use Reform Pilot Program is Oct. 31. Visit https://destatehousing.com/about/planning-assistance/, or contact Alexander Modeas, Director of Policy and Planning, at [email protected].

Additionally, the Disaster Housing Pilot Program, implemented in partnership with the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA), will provide technical assistance to three Delaware jurisdictions that adopt pre-disaster actions to streamline their housing recovery process.

The program is intended to build post-disaster housing recovery capacities and capabilities and to create replicable best practices that inform future statewide initiatives and strategies.

Using a three-phase approach, participating communities will engage in workshops to:

• Assess local hazard risks and internal capacity
• Draft and adopt pre-disaster recovery ordinances
• Identify future implementation actions

Interested jurisdictions must commit to attending a series of workshops and regular check-ins, and to working with IPA to customize a pre-disaster recovery ordinance over a 12-month period.

The deadline for applying to participate in the Disaster Housing Pilot Program is Sept. 22.

Municipalities interested in participating in the Disaster Housing Pilot Program should complete the survey on the DSHA website at https://www.destatehousing.com/about/disaster-housing-strategy/, or contact Vanessa Cullen, Emergency Management Coordinator, at [email protected].

Both the Disaster Housing Pilot Program and Zoning and Land Use Reform Pilot Program will establish model policies for local government zoning ordinance and land use reforms that can be expanded across Delaware.

Local governments may apply to both pilot programs.