At Thursday’s meeting, City Council will consider adjustments to the recent DB90 zoning classification that could result in a significant reduction in the noise levels allowed in residential areas. A scheduled public hearing on the possible ordinance change could also result in adoption of one of two ordinances that take opposite positions on the noise […]
Land Development Code
Posted inLand Development Code
Disability committee asks Council to address group homes in land use code
Changes to city code that could affect the regulation of group homes for seniors and people with disabilities prompted a request for City Council to make further adjustments to the Land Development Code. The Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities voted last month to approve a recommendation that reestablished some basic guidelines concerning group homes […]
Posted inHousing
Panelists offer cautious optimism on HOME and other city land use changes
Local real estate and development professionals weighed in Wednesday on the potential impact of the city’s many recent changes in land use policy, which were intended to add housing stock and address the affordability problem that has affected the area for roughly a decade. At the monthly breakfast panel held by Urban Land Institute Austin, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Following HOME approvals, Council calls for affordability programs to aid longtime residents
Lower- and middle-income homeowners are the target population for a resolution approved by City Council on Thursday intended to create the financing needed to build more homes on existing lots. The resolution, which was led by Council Member José Velásquez, was approved on the consent agenda with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting against. The item […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council tailors ETOD zoning, affordability requirements to maximize transit use
Included in last week’s slate of land use changes approved by City Council were adjustments to the density bonus incentives and other guidelines covering equitable transit-oriented developments intended to maximize usage of transit corridors throughout the city. Following the prior day’s marathon public comment session, Council reconvened on May 17 to consider a dozen amendments […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council adopts ordinance for electric vehicle charging stations
After adopting ordinances that promise to provide more housing on smaller pieces of land and changing compatibility requirements to allow taller buildings to be built closer to single-family housing, City Council quickly adopted changes to the city Land Development Code to allow some properties to be used for electric vehicle charging stations. The vote came […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin cuts minimum lot size by more than half, requiring less land to build a home
More homes, less lawn. This was the pitch made by Austin City Council members Friday when, for the first time in 80 years, they voted to lower the amount of land needed to build one house. The change allows property owners to build a home on as little as 1,800 square feet of land. This […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin will vote on rules that impact housing. Here’s what’s on the table.
This explainer was originally published April 10. It has been updated ahead of City Council’s vote. How do you retrofit a city that never planned for a population of nearly 1 million or for an extensive public transit system? Should you? These are the questions facing City Council members as they prepare to vote today on […]
Posted inLand Development Code
As Council moves to adopt HOME 2, groups call on Council to reject it or make major changes
At Tuesday’s work session, City Council discussed proposed amendments to the Land Development Code labeled HOME 2, as well as Equitable Transit-Oriented Development, citywide compatibility standards and rules for electric vehicle charging stations. But the majority of discussion was about the proposed set of rules designed to make it easier to build more housing on […]
Posted inLand Development Code
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 […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Ahead of May vote, Council hears staff feedback for revised South Central Waterfront plan
Planning Department staff explained to a portion of City Council members this week why they intend to move forward with only about half of the Planning Commission’s suggested changes to the South Central Waterfront Plan. At a combined meeting of the Mobility Committee and the Housing and Planning Committee, the message from principal planner April […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Disability commission to seek replacement of group home rules stricken from code
Advocates for people with disabilities are expected to ask the city to update recent building code changes that promote density but could make it easier for unregulated group homes to set up shop throughout Austin. At Friday’s meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities, Zoning and Platting Commissioner Betsy Greenberg spoke about the […]