Impediments to infill development: an analysis of infill implementation policies

Thesis (M.S., Urban Land Development) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010.Communities throughout California are placing an emphasis on promoting infill development. These communities realize that successful compact development is a key factor in reversing negative byproducts of sprawling development patterns, such as traffic congestion, reductions in open space, and an inefficient use of public infrastructure. Many communities create infill implementation strategies that detail policies to promote infill development. Nevertheless, studies have provided little detail regarding which policy approaches best infill development.\ud The purpose of this thesis is to identify impediments to infill development and to discover which policy tools are most effective in bridging the gap between a proposed project and a constructed project. To analyze the effectiveness, I conduct a feasibility study for a hypothetical mixed-use infill development in downtown Sacramento, California. \ud The primary finding of this thesis is policy tools that reduce development costs or reduce the developer???s initial cash outlay better improve the feasibility of an infill project than do tools that reduce financing costs throughout the absorption period. This thesis points the way toward a better understanding of the effectiveness of individual policies on development feasibility and provides a basis for comparing and contrasting those policies.Urban Land Developmen