Environmental Commission recommends site plan changes

At last week’s Environmental Commission meeting, members gave a positive recommendation for reducing the size of infill residential lots, including changes designed to make the process more efficient and less costly, while ensuring that drainage requirements are sufficient to prevent flooding neighboring lots.

In addition, they approved a resolution supporting changes to the Land Development Code in support of phase two of the HOME initiative. This resolution relates to reduced compatibility standards (from 540 feet to 75 feet between a home and another building), allowing more housing along major roads and higher-density housing near future light rail lines, known as ETODs or equitable transit-oriented development. This resolution, written by Commissioner David Sullivan, also recommends including site development standards for electric vehicle charging. That resolution points out that greater density leads to lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Council started the process of changing the code last year in the hope that smaller lot sizes would mean lower home prices and more housing for people in a variety of income categories.

Development Services Officer Brent Lloyd told commissioners that the current regulations, particularly drainage and water quality rules, are tailored to greenfield subdivisions (those that are built in previously undeveloped areas) rather than residential infill. Under the new regulations for further divisions of already-platted residential lots, on-site detention and drainage studies would not be required for developments that do not exceed 8,000 square feet of impervious cover – which is 1 acre. But the developer will still need to provide a drainage plan.

While recommending the code amendments on what staff calls Infill Plats and Site Plan Lite, commissioners expressed concern about their lack of involvement in putting together the amendments. In addition, commissioners complained that they had not been informed about how the proposals would impact tree protections, tree canopy or light pollution. Commissioner Jennifer Bristol authored the motion and seemed particularly annoyed about the fact that the group had not been given more time to consider their response.

Commissioners also said that they were concerned about how the changes might impact low-income neighborhoods. Lloyd told commissioners they were not seeing the final version of the proposed changes to the Land Development Code, but they were getting most of the information.

The infill plat proposal is scheduled to go before Council on May 30. The Planning Commission is scheduled to weigh in on the proposal on May 14. Members of the Environmental Commission discussed whether they should put together a working group to come up with their recommendations but decided they did not have sufficient time. Sullivan abstained and Commissioner Hanna Cofer was absent.

Sullivan, a staunch proponent of greater density, pointed out to his colleagues that Austin, along with many other cities, adopted the large lot requirement – 5,750 square feet – after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that discrimination based on race was unlawful. The effect of that requirement would be segregating lower-income people from the rich. His resolution passed on a vote of 8-1, with Commissioner Richard Brimer voting no and Cofer absent.

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