Politics
Bastille Mayor's 2026 Zoning Adjustment Ordinance Alters Development Rules for Riverside District Projects
The ordinance raises minimum lot sizes for new multi-family builds in three central wards while directing fee revenue to senior housing support, changing costs for property owners and service users in those areas from August onward.
How we reported this
The Bastille mayor's office issued the 2026 Zoning Adjustment Ordinance on 7 July, increasing minimum lot sizes for multi-family residential projects in the Riverside, Old Town and Market Square wards from 800 square metres to 1 200 square metres. The change applies to all applications submitted after 1 August and routes a portion of the resulting permit fees to the city's Senior Housing Support Fund.
City budget documents from the 2025-26 fiscal year show that multi-family permits accounted for 42 percent of all residential applications in those three wards last year. The ordinance therefore directly affects builders planning apartment blocks and townhouse clusters near the riverfront and the central market area, where land parcels are smaller on average than in outer wards.
Effects on residents and property owners
Households seeking rental units in Riverside will see fewer new buildings approved in the short term because larger lots are required, local planning staff state. Existing tenants in older low-rise blocks may face slower turnover as redevelopment slows. At the same time, the Senior Housing Support Fund is projected to receive an additional 1.8 million euros annually from the higher permit fees, money earmarked for rent subsidies for residents aged 65 and over living in the same three wards.
Property owners of single-family homes in the affected wards gain clearer rules against adjacent multi-family redevelopment on small parcels. Developers who already hold larger assembled sites can still proceed but must pay the elevated fees, which the legislation sets at 3.5 percent of project value instead of the previous 2 percent.
Implementation timeline and next steps
The ordinance takes effect on 1 August 2026. The planning department will publish updated application checklists on 15 July and hold two public information sessions at the Market Square civic centre on 22 and 29 July. Applications already in review before 1 August remain under the prior rules, according to the city clerk's office.
Local advocates note that the fee revenue will be allocated through the existing Senior Housing Support Fund distribution formula, which prioritises applicants on the central housing wait-list. The government says the policy will reduce pressure on existing infrastructure while increasing support for older residents already living in the three wards.