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- Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control
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Land Development Code
Staff releases expedited timeline for housing code amendments
An updated timeline for implementation of a bundle of city code amendments aimed at increasing housing supply is in the hands of City Council. In a memo dated July 13, Planning Department Director Lauren Middleton-Pratt revealed the updated Schedule of…
Land Development Code • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 18, 2023
Planning Commission urges quicker processing of Land Development Code amendments
With dozens of amendments to the city’s outdated Land Development Code currently in the works – many aimed at increasing supply and lowering costs for housing – City Council members and city staffers in recent weeks have discussed how to…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jul 5, 2023
Landmark commission pushes for ‘partnership’ on Sixth Street redevelopment
Despite trepidation from developers, the Historic Landmark Commission has recommended a heftier review process for Sixth Street properties slated to be redeveloped under proposed regulations. The code amendments, which were initiated by City Council in June 2022, could raise height…
Land Development Code • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 21, 2023
City code amendments moving slowly, including change to parking requirements
Remember all those amendments to Austin’s land use regulations that City Council directed city staff to write – ideas that seem particularly important in light of the housing shortage? They’re moving slowly. Those amendments include eliminating parking requirements from the…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jun 20, 2023
Council takes a step toward ending compatibility standards
City Council members on Thursday took their first major step toward making key changes to rules limiting the height of buildings near single-family homes on a citywide basis. Austin’s compatibility rules, which are among the strictest in the country, have…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Jun 9, 2023
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
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City to ban unsafe fence designs
The city will soon prohibit unsafe fence designs, like those with spiked or widely spaced pickets, to reduce the risk of serious injury and death in humans and animals. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended City Council approve the…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • May 26, 2023
Housing and Planning Committee grapples with how to prioritize code amendments
Members of City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee grappled during a Tuesday briefing with how to best approach moving forward on a set of amendments to the city’s Land Development Code. The discussion occurred at the committee’s May 23 special…
Land Development Code • By Nina Hernandez • May 25, 2023
Council approves code amendments to allow for future Butler Trail improvements
City Council passed a resolution last week to initiate a set of Land Development Code amendments that will allow for safety and mobility improvements to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. The item passed on the consent…
Land Development Code • By Nina Hernandez • May 22, 2023
Council votes to make it easier to build along highways
City Council voted Thursday to eliminate a section of the Land Development Code that governs development along highways, hoping the change will help add housing units in the city and “eliminate barriers to the creation of income-restricted units under established…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • May 19, 2023
Neighborhood groups warn of bill to limit, kill city regulations
Members of two neighborhood coalitions have been contacting members of the Texas House to alert them to what they perceive as an especially dangerous bill, one that could strip cities throughout the state, as well as counties and special districts,…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • May 10, 2023
City to calculate housing gains possible with new building height compatibility rules
City staff members are moving ahead with analyzing how a change to area building height compatibility requirements could disrupt the local housing market. The analysis, which was called for as part of a December resolution by City Council that was…