Housing affordability in Austin as it relates to CodeNEXT was the center of attention at the Human Rights Commission meeting on Monday, June 26. On behalf of Austin Habitat for Humanity, Greg Anderson, the organization’s director of operations, presented a new form of density bonus incentives as a way to combat the city’s housing challenges. […]
Land Development Code
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For some Austin residents, CodeNEXT spurs fears of gentrification
When we talk about gentrification in Austin, the conversation tends to center around rapid redevelopment on the city’s east side. But residents of other neighborhoods near the city center have their eyes on the changes that Austin’s new land development code, known as CodeNEXT, could bring. Martha Cotera is a community organizer and translator who […]
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Recent study reveals benefits of Austin’s historic neighborhoods
Longtime Austin residents and historic preservation advocates have new data to back up their defense of neighborhood character thanks to a report that has made its way into local CodeNEXT discussions. Last week, Council Member Leslie Pool shared a link to the Atlas of ReUrbanism, published late last year, on the City Council Message Board […]
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Commission fights for seat at CodeNEXT table
The Zoning and Platting Commission has been perceived by some as the proverbial “stick in the mud” since the CodeNEXT drafting process began earlier this year, but a resolution passed at City Council’s most recent meeting reiterates the commission’s inability to stop the scheduled third reading of the new code by Council next April. According […]
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CodeNEXT likely to ditch transect zones
One of the key concepts underpinning the proposed revamp of the city’s land development code will likely not be included in the next draft of the proposal, city staff informed City Council members Wednesday. The team responsible for drafting the new code is considering getting rid of transect zones, Jerry Rusthoven of the Planning and […]
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Flexibility, affordability top CodeNEXT concerns for creatives
Ambitions for flexible arts spaces, affordable living options and improved transit options are some of the common themes among artists and their supporters considering how they want CodeNEXT to reshape the city’s growth. Those viewpoints were among the dozens offered Wednesday at a forum for musicians and other creatives organized by the city’s Music and […]
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Austin architects say CodeNEXT limits opportunity for ‘missing middle’ housing
As Austin’s new land development code, known as CodeNEXT, is being written, city staff and the private sector are working to understand how it will shape future development. Last month, members of the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects tried their hand at applying the new code to neighborhoods across the city. A […]
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CodeNEXT proposes new program to bolster affordable housing
CodeNEXT, the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code, dramatically expands an existing city program that offers developers incentives to build housing reserved for low- and middle-income buyers and renters. In a presentation to City Council members on Wednesday, the consultants hired to craft CodeNEXT explained that the “density bonus” program included in the […]
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Evolve Austin wants to make the case for density
A coalition of businesses and nonprofits hopes to mobilize people to support a new Land Development Code that will make Austin more compact and connected. On Monday, Evolve Austin announced its plans for a yearlong grassroots campaign fueled by volunteer canvassers knocking on doors or soliciting people in public places. The goal is to raise […]
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Garage placement tool ignites political blowback from Bouldin Creek
Light shone through the cracks in the contact team model for neighborhood planning during deliberation over a neighborhood plan amendment at the most recent meeting of the Planning Commission. The Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Plan, adopted in 2002, includes voluntary design guidelines for the area, one of which is to minimize the use of the garage […]
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What businesses are coming to your neighborhood under CodeNEXT?
Mayor Steve Adler continues to assure the public that City Council still has ample time to “calibrate” CodeNEXT. The reassurance is in response to myriad concerns about how the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code will impact neighborhoods. Early meetings on the subject have displayed just how hard it will be to come […]
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West Austin Triplex bid stalls at BoA
Time and money did not prove to be a sufficient hardship at the Board of Adjustment, where an Old West Austin homeowner hoping to build a triplex on a multifamily lot learned the price of 600 feet this week. William Schaub explained that he hoped to build three residential units on his property at 804 […]