Code amendments supporting the first phase of Project Connect light rail will be prioritized this spring, according to a new memo from interim City Manager Jesús Garza. Focusing on these amendments, he explains, will help ensure the city can apply for federal funding. City staff will also push to bring back a recommendation to reduce the minimum lot size from the current 5,750 square feet. That change was initiated as part of the recently approved HOME initiative. In terms of Project Connect-related amendments, this spring will see a push to adopt citywide compatibility, a revamp of VMU2 that will be a new density bonus zoning district, modifications to downtown parking requirements, the first phase of an equitable transit-oriented development overlay and a South Central Waterfront Bonus District.
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor. More by Elizabeth Pagano