Council to consider public safety stations as community benefit eligible for density bonuses

City Council will consider adding public safety space – like fire, police and EMS stations – as a community benefit eligible for density bonus programs and planned unit developments (PUD) at its meeting on Thursday.

District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly sponsored the resolution, which would direct the city manager “to explore, as part of the comprehensive review of density bonus programs, how providing space for public safety purposes could be included as an element … and to return to Council with recommendations,” according to draft language. The resolution also would direct the city manager to explore how such space might qualify for a PUD designation.

Council members Chito Vela, Ryan Alter and José Velásquez are co-sponsors.

Citing a similar program in New York City, Kelly envisions developers either building public safety space into their future projects or providing land to the city for the same purpose in exchange for increased density and other flexibilities. 

“I’ve come to realize that the cost of property in the city is expensive, and it’s only going to get more expensive,” she told the Austin Monitor. “And I’ve noticed that we don’t have enough fire stations, police stations or EMS stations in the city to support the populations that require (them).”

Kelly said she has talked to developers who are receptive to the idea, and she believes on-site public safety infrastructure could be a selling point for prospective tenants. 

She also mentioned the lack of any public safety space at the Domain, which instead adds to the demand on other stations nearby, driving up response times.

“In a city the size as Austin is … we’re going to start to have to figure out unique ways to meet the ongoing demands of public safety development,” she said. 

Under the city’s 13 density bonus programs, developers can earn additional height and density by providing community benefits, such as affordable housing or money toward affordable housing.

Council previously tapped interim City Manager Jesús Garza to review these programs and make recommendations for streamlining them as part of a broader push to amend the housing code. His recommendations are due in mid-2024. 

PUDs are a zoning designation for large developments. In exchange for preserving the natural environment, investing in innovative design and ensuring adequate public services, PUD developers gain certain flexibilities beyond conventional zoning and subdivision regulations.

Kelly said the city already offers density bonuses in exchange for parkland, among other requirements, and that her resolution could serve as a jumping-off point for incentivizing the private development of other community benefits, such as public libraries and pools. 

“The real goal of what I was trying to accomplish was to ease the burden of taxpayers to create additional public safety infrastructure,” she said.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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