DC’s Zoning Commission has approved some long-debated changes to the zoning code.

Among the changes are the elimination of parking minimum requirements. Developers of new residential buildings are currently required to build a certain number of parking spaces. The new code eliminates this parking minimum in certain parts of the District, with the number of required spaces to be determined by each specific area, Urban Turf reports.

The new code also includes changes that will affect accessory apartments, which will now get the green light in low-density sections in which they were previously frowned upon, and corner stores, with limitations put in place to protect existing commercial zones and residential quality, which may be another welcome change for residents. Last year, the DC Zoning Commission passed regulations to limit conversions and pop-ups, which now require special exceptions for developers seeking to increase density.

The changes were unanimously approved and will go into effect Sept. 6. The District’s zoning code dates back to 1958 and has been in need of some changes. The Comprehensive Plan for the District of Columbia took note and referred to the 1958 code as in need of “substantial revision and reorganization, ranging from new definitions to updated development and design standards, and even new zones.”

The unanimously approved changes are the culmination of more than eight years of public discussion, analysis and review led by the Office of Planning with the assistance of numerous agencies across the District. [UT]