Staff provides alternatives for HOME amendments

Today is a big day for Austin residents who either support or oppose the changes to zoning put forth in the HOME initiative. Council will begin to hear from the public and deliberate on the proposal at 10 a.m. There are numerous wrinkles to be worked out in implementing the initiative, in particular several suggested by the Planning Commission related to front yard setbacks, preservation and sustainability bonuses, and floor area ratio (FAR) maximums. Assistant City Manager Veronica Briseño outlined some options recommended by staff in a memo dated Dec. 1. Staff is recommending two alternatives on the front yard setback: 20 feet or the shortest setback provided by the closest four structures on the same side of the street. The preservation and sustainability bonus rules are more complex. As for the FAR maximums, staff would include garages and carports in their calculations, which the Planning Commission did not recommend. Alternatively, Briseño wrote, the FAR for two-unit developments could be lowered from 0.55 to 0.50, still allowing for consideration of garage structures in the calculations.