Politics
Nieuw West City Council Passes Mixed-Use Zoning Expansion Ordinance, Affecting Building Heights in Westpark and Slotermeer
The 7-4 vote sets new density rules that will apply to planning applications in two districts where the municipal housing registry lists more than 9,000 active waitlist entries.
How we reported this
The Nieuw West City Council approved the Mixed-Use Zoning Expansion Ordinance on July 7 by a 7-4 margin. The measure raises maximum building heights to six storeys in selected blocks of Westpark and Slotermeer, provided each project places retail or community facilities on the ground floor.
Council documents tie the timing to the 2026 municipal planning update, which projects 15,000 new residents arriving in Nieuw West by 2035 from regional migration recorded in the prior five years.
Perspectives from Policy Experts and Community Groups
Analysts at the local economic development agency said the ordinance follows the 2024 regional growth management plan by requiring each qualifying project to reserve ground-floor space for small businesses. They noted this provision aims to keep employment options within walking distance of new housing units. Local advocates with the community housing network pointed out that the rules direct new construction toward main corridors, which they said could ease demand on single-family streets nearby where wait times for units under 80 square metres already exceed 18 months according to the 2025 housing needs assessment.
Residents who rent in the affected zones told council staff during the meeting that any increase in local supply would first need to meet the 30 percent affordability target stated in the ordinance text before they would consider it relevant to their search.
Budget Allocations and Service Impacts for Residents
The ordinance channels 25 percent of density-bonus fees into the neighbourhood improvement fund, which the 2026 budget paper records at 3.2 million euros for the fiscal year. City finance staff project this stream will add 1.8 million euros annually by 2029 for park upkeep and additional bus stops on routes serving the two districts. Property owners inside the zones will face a 45-day public consultation period for each major application, as required by the municipal permitting code.
City staff will accept the first applications under the new rules from October 2026 once administrative guidelines appear in the official gazette and the provincial oversight committee completes its review.