Council takes a step toward ending compatibility standards

City Council members on Thursday took their first major step toward making key changes to rules limiting the height of buildings near single-family homes on a citywide basis.

Austin’s compatibility rules, which are among the strictest in the country, have been blamed consistently for the city’s failure to produce reasonably priced housing. Last fall, the Planning Commission criticized the city for failing to take the necessary steps to reduce such effects of compatibility standards. State lawmakers proposed legislation that would have reduced or changed setback rules, but those bills did not pass.

Council Member Chito Vela and co-sponsors Natasha Harper-Madison, Vanessa Fuentes, José Velásquez and Ryan Alter pushed forward with their resolution directing city staff to come up with new rules that would eliminate or at least reduce the effect of those regulations. Council Member Zo Qadri added his name as a co-sponsor during the meeting.

Council members Mackenzie Kelly and Alison Alter voted against the final resolution, both expressing fears of unintended consequences. Council Member Leslie Pool was out of town on official business.

In a lengthy explanation of the proposed regulation, staff suggested limiting compatibility between housing and commercial or retail property to 100 feet or less; eliminating properties with single-family zoning not used for residential purposes from triggering compatibility standards; and exempting certain projects, such as townhomes, from being limited by compatibility restrictions.

In general, there could be a wide variety of waivers that would allow the Planning Commission or Council to waive compatibility. Staff members are expected to return to Council with recommendations based on a study to be released in July. Those who were concerned about the Legislature’s attempts to change Austin’s land development rules are likely to protest these proposals, too.

Photo by Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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