695 homes – many of them affordable – planned on East Riverside
Friday, March 3, 2023 by
Jonathan Lee The Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of a zoning change that could bring a large mixed-use project with affordable housing to Riverside Drive.
Plans for the project at 6610 East Riverside Drive include 600 residential units, half of which would be affordable, as well as 95 live/work units and 4,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
Five percent of the exclusively residential units would be affordable for those making 60 percent of the median family income, and another 45 percent would be affordable at 80 percent MFI. The developer is aiming to partner with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin.
To make the project viable, the developer is requesting East Riverside Corridor – Corridor Mixed Use (ERC-CMU) zoning for the entire 6.5-acre property. Most of the site already has ERC-CMU zoning, but part of it has the more restrictive ERC-Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMU) zoning. With the zoning change, buildings could be 120 feet tall, or 10 to 12 stories.
The site, which is vacant, sits on the Blue Line, a planned light rail service from the airport to downtown as part of Project Connect.
The zoning case was originally scheduled for November, but it got postponed several times due to the December runoff election, city staff error, and the February ice storm.
On Tuesday, the case was nearly delayed again – possibly putting the project at risk – when the neighborhood requested a postponement. But Amanda Swor, the developer’s representative, said yet another delay would force the developer to pay a hefty sum to the current landowner, potentially jeopardizing the project, prompting the commission to deny the neighborhood’s request.
While most commissioners supported the rezoning, the case sparked discussion about the project’s planned use of SMART Housing, which requires affordable units but not those serving the very poorest. Commissioner Carmen Llanes Pulido argued that many residents in the surrounding Montopolis neighborhood would not be able to afford even the units in the development deemed affordable.
“SMART Housing since its introduction, while it is posed as a tool of affordability, in the areas, especially low-income communities of color, it has not produced affordability for the people who need it the most,” she said.
Llanes Pulido also quoted local anti-gentrification activist Pablo Hernández, who described SMART Housing as short for “Send Minorities Across the River Today.”
But others said that a project with nearly half of its units affordable is something to get behind.
“We need to embrace the fact that we are getting more affordable housing than we would get otherwise,” Commissioner Patrick Howard said. “Though it falls sorely short of what we need, it does go in the right direction.”
Others echoed Howard and also voiced hopes that the project might find more government subsidies to make some units even more affordable.
The commission voted 9-1-1 in favor of the requested zoning, with Llanes Pulido against and Commissioner Jennifer Mushatler abstaining.
City Council is scheduled to hear the case on first reading next Thursday.
The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.
You're a community leader
And we’re honored you look to us for serious, in-depth news. You know a strong community needs local and dedicated watchdog reporting. We’re here for you and that won’t change. Now will you take the powerful next step and support our nonprofit news organization?
