After months of debate, the Planning Commission at its Nov. 1 meeting directed staff and consultants to make the building of accessory dwelling units less constrained in the final draft of CodeNEXT. The current code places several restrictions on the construction of ADUs, and the second draft of the new code has dropped some of […]
Land Development Code
Posted inLand Development Code
Land use commissions diverge ahead of CodeNEXT third draft
Differences of opinion between the Planning Commission and Zoning and Platting Commission are becoming more distinct. The Zoning and Platting Commission managed to submit an official recommendation on Monday, whereas the Planning Commission passed a less formal resolution on Wednesday, but both commissions made their positions known to staff this week close to the Oct. […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Water quality groups wade carefully into CodeNEXT debate
While the Austin environmental community appears divided on what to do about CodeNEXT, three green groups say the proposed overhaul of the Land Development Code will strengthen water quality protections in a number of key ways. In a statement released Tuesday, the Save Barton Creek Association, Clean Water Action and Environment Texas highlight some of […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin Monitor Radio: Planning Commission on CodeNEXT
On this week’s radio show, Planning Commission Chair Stephen Oliver and Commissioner Nuria Zaragoza sit down with Austin Monitor freelance reporter Joseph Caterine to talk about the CodeNEXT process. Tune in below to hear how the Planning Commission is tackling the massive project, what they think of the official timeline and what they think of […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission plots new CodeNEXT recommendation road map
In hindsight, future historians may interpret the Planning Commission’s Oct. 24 resolution as taking a clever shortcut toward the final destination of an April 2018 CodeNEXT adoption. Or, it may be viewed as a turnaround that strayed off the clear path set by City Council. In any case, the timeline for reviewing the code has […]
Posted inLand Development Code
What will CodeNEXT mean for Austin’s neighborhood plans?
At a CodeNEXT meeting earlier this month, residents from across Austin raised concerns about one perceived change: that the city’s new Land Development Code would scrap their neighborhood plans. Jorge Rousselin, the city’s project manager on CodeNEXT, said that’s just not true. “There has been no change to how we are addressing neighborhood plans through […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commission hosts massive CodeNEXT public work session
The Planning Commission opened the doors of City Hall yesterday to a public eager to share its thoughts on the second draft of CodeNEXT. Despite some polarizing opinions on certain topics, the atmosphere remained cordial, and the complex review process that typically seems unwieldy for once almost appeared manageable. The zoning chapter of CodeNEXT has […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Panel of Latino leaders to explore how CodeNEXT addresses racial inequities
As Austin’s new Land Development Code, CodeNEXT, is being crafted, some residents see the process as a chance to address longstanding issues of racial and economic inequity. Neighborhood activist Susana Almanza said Austin needs to talk about its past before it plans the future. Almanza, a member of the Eastern Crescent Right to Stay Coalition, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Hyde Park variance no-show flops at BoA
Though there are no guarantees for getting a variance at the Board of Adjustment, a recent Hyde Park case proved one thing for sure: You might want to show up. David Rudick, the owner of 4008 Ave. C, was not present at the meeting. However, he was requesting a variance to decrease the minimum lot […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commission quartet revolts against calls for CodeNEXT delay
In an unconventional maneuver, four Planning Commissioners hosted an impromptu press conference Thursday at City Hall, announcing their opposition to voices critical of the CodeNEXT timeline. Commissioners Chito Vela, Greg Anderson, Jeffrey Thompson and Angela De Hoyos Hart all made statements urging the city to proceed as planned on the current draft schedule. The land […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Commission vents about CodeNEXT’s momentum
Somewhere, hiding mysteriously in the drafting timeline of the new land use code, there is a point of no return. The Zoning and Platting Commission, a body that has repeatedly called for the CodeNEXT review process to be slowed down, questioned at its Oct. 17 meeting if it was too late to postpone adoption of […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT density increase could mean parking requirement decrease
The spirit of road rage sometimes goes beyond Austin’s congested highways and injects itself into debates revolving around the city’s transit problems. That angst could be felt at the Oct. 10 Planning Commission meeting, when staff presented how parking requirements would shift under CodeNEXT 2.0. In the Mobility Code Prescription paper published in July 2016, […]