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Most Popular Stories
- Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control
- A once-banned type of building is back in favor – and the Planning Commission approves
- Eviction crisis spreads as affordability pressures worsen
- Austin churches answer prayers for affordable housing – by building it themselves
- East Austin’s ‘wishbone’ bridge takes shape as concrete beams almost span Lady Bird Lake
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Land Development Code
HOME proposal draws a crowd of speakers, both pro and con
A total of 297 interested citizens signed up to address a joint meeting of City Council and the Planning Commission on Thursday about proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations intended to increase the amount of housing available to middle-income…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Oct 27, 2023
Council’s plans to change housing rules upset some neighborhood advocates
Austin’s “single-family neighborhoods are in jeopardy of losing big” with the proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations, according to Ana Aguirre, president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council. While housing advocates have praised City Council Member Leslie Pool’s HOME initiative,…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Oct 25, 2023
Austin policy lets builders forgo red tape. The result? More affordable housing, less public input.
Tomás Ramírez moistens a reed, puts in his teeth, gulps down the last of his coffee and begins to play. The sound that comes from his alto saxophone is a mournful riff. “I just sort of make things up when…
Land Development Code • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 25, 2023
Council to consider joint hearing with Planning Commission on code amendments
Mayor Kirk Watson wants everyone in Austin to know that City Council will be holding a hearing on changes to the Land Development Code. Specifically, Council will be considering comments on proposals to allow three units per lot in single-family…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Sep 20, 2023
City could reduce compatibility buffers to 75 feet to encourage new housing
City staff has recommended the city end building compatibility height restrictions at 75 feet from single-family homes that for decades have had a barrier of several hundred feet from tall buildings. That recommendation is one of nine included in a…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 18, 2023
Council considering allowing tiny homes, RVs as accessory dwelling units
City Council seems poised to initiate changes to city zoning regulations that will allow tiny homes and recreational vehicles to be used as accessory dwelling units in single-family neighborhoods. Council Member Leslie Pool is sponsoring a resolution on today’s Council…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Sep 14, 2023
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Council approves push to make air conditioning a requirement in Austin
This summer, a stretch of hot, dry weather in Austin has tested everyone’s patience. The record-high heat has also posed a danger to those not lucky enough to feel the relief of air conditioning. A new City Council resolution looks…
City Council • By Elizabeth Pagano • Sep 1, 2023
Council hears plan to overhaul site plan review process
Few who have dealt with the city of Austin’s site plan review process would dispute that it’s cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive. But consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which analyzed the process and then outlined improvements for City Council at Tuesday’s…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Aug 30, 2023
City facing new legal challenge over Affordability Unlocked, other rules this week
The 18 plaintiffs who won a judgment against the city of Austin over its attempted rewrite of the Land Development Code in 2020 are going back to court this week. This time, they’ll attempt to overturn city regulations created in…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Aug 29, 2023
Board of Adjustment fee assistance program will launch Oct. 1
A long-awaited assistance program granting low-income homeowners waivers when seeking zoning variances will launch Oct. 1. The yearlong Board of Adjustment Applicant Assistant Program pilot will fund up to nine waivers – or $10,000 – for eligible applicants, according to…
Land Development Code • By Emma Freer • Jul 27, 2023
Council greenlights change to reduce land size needed to build a home in Austin
The size of land Austinites need to build a home on is about to get smaller – as part of an effort to encourage developers to build smaller and cheaper houses. City Council on Thursday approved a resolution that will start…
City Council • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Jul 21, 2023
Council considers code amendments to relax single-family zoning rules
City Council will consider an item at this week’s meeting that would begin the process of relaxing the city’s strict single-family zoning rules. Item 126, sponsored by Council Member Leslie Pool, directs the city manager to propose code amendments that…
