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 seeing the diagram of the zoning,” said Maija Kreishman, a principal with Michael Hsu Office […]
Land Development Code
Posted inLand Development Code
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 Planning Committee, members soured on preapproved ADU plans – an idea floated for years to […]
Posted inLand Development Code
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 and parking requirements for VMU properties along Project Connect light rail lines to allow more […]
Posted inLand Development Code
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 and criteria manual amendments designed specifically for streetscapes, which were previously lumped into the commercial […]
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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 on this Council to increase housing capacity on our corridors to meet our housing goals […]
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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 barriers to housing development, like parking minimums and compatibility, is essential,” Chris Randazzo, Real Estate […]
Posted inLand Development Code
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 new category VMU2. Mayor Steve Adler proposed a discussion at Council’s work session on May […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Proposed VMU changes stir compatibility controversy
The Planning Commission has recommended changes to the Vertical Mixed-Use density bonus program to let developers build taller in exchange for more affordable housing – but only after animated discussion about compatibility standards. The proposed change, if passed into ordinance by City Council, would create two tiers of VMU: VMU1 and 2. VMU1 would keep […]
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City loses Land Development Code lawsuit appeal
On Thursday, the Texas 14th Court of Appeals upheld a ruling by Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer invalidating two votes by Austin City Council rewriting the city’s Land Development code. Soifer ruled that the city had violated property owners’ procedural rights by failing to notify the owners of their right to protest and holding hearings […]
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Creating preapproved ADU plans could take 2-3 years, produce few units
With City Council seeking to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units, city staffers provided an update on Feb. 16 about a key part of Council’s ADU strategy: creating a menu of preapproved, publicly available ADU plans. In a memo, staffers said such a program would take between 20 and 30 months and nearly […]
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Council to allow ADUs in more places
In response to rising housing costs, last Thursday City Council proposed several changes to allow accessory dwelling units in more neighborhoods and to make them easier to build. ADUs are set to become legal in Single Family Residence-Large Lot (SF-1) and Single Family Residence-Standard Lot (SF-2) zones – but only if the existing home is […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council looks to increase height allowed under VMU zoning
City Council last Thursday took a step toward addressing housing affordability, passing a resolution to allow greater building height in areas zoned Vertical Mixed-Use (VMU). The code change would create VMU2, a new zoning category that allows 90 feet of height in exchange for on-site affordable housing. The current VMU zoning, which allows 60 feet […]