OAPs: The Gray Area of Zoning

Your city planner has a secret weapon that controls your neighborhood without strict rules.

It is called an OAP, and it is basically a vibe check for new construction.

Unlike normal zoning laws where you have to follow every single measurement perfectly,

these special planning zones only require compatibility. That means your project does not

have to be exact, it just has to match the spirit of the city's goal. They use this to

zoom in on specific areas, like fixing up an old district or cleaning up ugly

city entrances. But here is the catch. If the city writes these rules too

vaguely, the courts say they do not even count. It is the ultimate gray area of urban