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Housing
Tenant protections could get stronger after Planning Commission takes up ordinance
An ordinance that established protections for tenants years ago could get an update that’s expected to extend those safeguards, as well as enhance housing affordability. In 2016, City Council adopted the Tenant Notification and Relocation Ordinance, intended to mitigate the…
Development • By Andrea Guzman • Aug 11, 2023
Housing costs analysis endorses changes in lots sizes, compatibility requirements
City staff and researchers at the University of Texas looking to reduce housing costs have published their recommendations on policies for City Council to consider. A memo published last week offers a broad overview of the current state of affordability…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 4, 2023
Real estate leaders see hope in smaller lot sizes as demand for housing remains strong
“In Austin, you don’t have enough housing for the demand in the pipeline. … I can’t say it simpler. We all agree we have increased inventory, but with the demand coming down the pipeline, and then you had two quarters…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 3, 2023
Council orders overhaul of SMART housing program
City Council voted this week to proceed with an overhaul of the SMART housing program. The SMART (Safe, Mixed-Income, Accessible, Reasonably Priced, Transit-Oriented) housing program grants certain fee waivers to housing developments that agree to include affordable housing. The list…
Housing • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 21, 2023
District-by-district analysis shows unequal progress on affordable housing construction
The nonprofit HousingWorks Austin on June 29 released its eighth “District by District and Community at a Glance Analysis,” an annual report that shows how many units of subsidized affordable housing have been built in each City Council district, as…
Housing • By Jonathan Lee • Jul 10, 2023
What Austin and Travis County learned about rental assistance during the pandemic
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Austin and Travis County had no overarching infrastructure in place for distributing rental assistance or otherwise supporting low-income families at risk of eviction. Then, millions of people across industries lost their sources of…
Housing • By Nina Hernandez • Jun 22, 2023
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Council OKs getting rid of some occupancy limits
As expected, City Council on Thursday moved forward with a resolution from District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri directing city management to eliminate occupancy limits related to familial status within the city’s Land Development Code. The final vote was 9-1,…
Housing • By Jo Clifton • Jun 2, 2023
Austin is opening a temporary homeless shelter in Southeast Austin
In light of a growing need for emergency shelter, Austin is repurposing a city-owned warehouse space in Southeast Austin to temporarily house 300 people experiencing homelessness. In a city memo out late last week, interim City Manager Jesús Garza said a portion…
Housing • By Andrew Weber, KUT • May 16, 2023
Planning Commission rethinks ‘stealth dorm’ occupancy limits
In 2014, City Council passed the so-called “stealth dorm” ordinance, which lowered occupancy limits to prevent large groups of students from living together in single-family homes. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to reconsider occupancy limits in hopes of…
Housing • By Jonathan Lee • May 11, 2023
City looks to train, grow new developers to target affordable housing
Smaller developers without years of experience in the Austin market are invited to participate in a new city housing program designed with the goal of creating more affordable housing throughout the city. Applications are open for the Austin Small Developer…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • May 2, 2023
Last year, your property appraisal went way up. This year (maybe) it’s down. What does it all mean?
If you own property in the Austin area, chances are you recently received your latest property appraisal. This number, known as your appraised value, is an estimate from the Travis Central Appraisal District of what your home would sell for…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 26, 2023
The University of Texas says it will help low-income students pay for housing
University of Texas students whose families earn less than $125,000 a year may be able to get money to cover a portion of their on-campus rent for one academic year. University officials teased the new program in an op-ed in the Austin American–Statesman last…
