Vertical mixed use cases postponed due to lawsuit

On Thursday, City Council indefinitely postponed two zoning cases that were envisioned as mixed-use developments with tall buildings that would offer housing for low-income Austinites. Because a Travis County judge has found that the city failed to follow proper procedures in approving the Vertical Mixed Use 2 ordinance, those cases cannot move forward at this point. District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter, whose district includes properties on Red Bird Lane and South Congress Avenue, said a new version of the ordinance needs to come back to Council, “sooner rather than later.” A few minutes later, Zoning Officer Joi Harden told Council that cases in Crestview Village and North Lamar would also be postponed indefinitely for the same reason. Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool said she wanted action on the ordinance so those District 7 properties could be built with the affordable housing envisioned by the VMU2 ordinance. City Attorney Anne Morgan responded, “We are committed to bringing that back to you sooner rather than later.” When Council approved the ordinance in 2022, they did so in part to facilitate creating more affordable housing. The VMU2 zoning would require somewhere between 224 and 305 affordable units for people with a median family income of 30 percent to 80 percent MFI.