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Land Development Code
City considers changes to floodplain redevelopment
Owners of businesses in the city’s floodplain will soon be able to make changes to their buildings or rebuild entirely so flash floods pose less of a threat – to structures as well as employees and customers. The tweak to…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jul 7, 2022
Planning Commission considers working group to tackle 'archaic' land use code
Austin’s Planning Commission is once more dipping its toes into turbulent waters, with plans to form a working group that would tackle small-scale reforms to the 38-year-old Land Development Code. On Tuesday commissioners opted to postpone action for another two…
Land Development Code • By Kali Bramble • Jul 6, 2022
East Austin townhomes move forward with relaxed compatibility
A plan to build townhomes in the Chestnut neighborhood is moving forward with the unanimous blessing of the Planning Commission, which granted permission to build closer to nearby homes than would normally be allowed. Developers of the project at 1400…
Land Development Code • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 23, 2022
Sixth Street reboot gets first Council OK to raise building heights
In one of the most significant moves to remake the city’s downtown entertainment district along East Sixth Street, a Dallas developer has received the first OK aimed at raising mixed-use buildings up to 140 feet high to the area. Last…
Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 15, 2022
Council approves new mixed-use development rules and launches separate corridor proposal
In response to Austin’s housing crisis, City Council passed two policies Thursday to allow more housing along major streets. “I think it’s more critical now than it has ever been to increase density and housing on these corridors,” Mayor Steve…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 13, 2022
How tall should buildings be when they're near single-family homes?
There’s a building on South Lamar that looks like a stepladder. Well, maybe a stepladder if you laid it on the ground. Or, maybe just a set of stairs – for a giant. “As you move across Lamar, you’re literally…
Land Development Code • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 9, 2022
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Council to consider new ADU policies, ditch preapproved blueprints
City Council shifted priorities this week on policies related to accessory dwelling units, with members showing little interest in creating preapproved ADU blueprints and instead considering a new measure aimed at making ADUs easier to build. At Tuesday’s Housing and…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 3, 2022
Ahead of Council vote, committee sculpts VMU2 proposal
City Council members at Tuesday’s Housing and Planning Committee meeting shared their latest thinking on proposed changes to Vertical Mixed-Use (VMU) zoning ahead of a vote on June 9. Council Member Chito Vela outlined a new compromise to reduce compatibility…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jun 1, 2022
Council approves land use code amendments, paving smoother path for mobility projects
Staff charged with delivering on Austin’s mobility investments hope to soon see faster returns, as City Council passed an ordinance last Thursday that would simplify land use regulations for mobility projects. The ordinance comprises a hodgepodge of land use code…
Land Development Code • By Kali Bramble • May 25, 2022
Council lays out compromise for more density along major streets
As Austin’s housing crisis deepens, City Council is pushing to relax two major constraints on development – compatibility and parking requirements – for properties along busy streets, in hopes of increasing the supply of housing. “We believe there is consensus…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • May 18, 2022
Advocacy orgs target compatibility, parking requirements in VMU2
As City Council discusses VMU2, a proposal to allow taller buildings on sites zoned Vertical Mixed-Use in exchange for more affordable housing, advocacy groups have rallied to scrap what they say are VMU2’s biggest shortcomings: compatibility and parking requirements. “Eliminating…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Apr 25, 2022
VMU changes not happening anytime soon
Without taking a vote, City Council members decided during Tuesday’s work session that they would postpone Thursday’s vote on the most recent proposals to enhance affordability options within the zoning category known as Vertical Mixed Use, or VMU, and the…
