The city Planning Commission on Tuesday kicked off the creation of an amendment to Austin’s land development code to encourage developers to build more affordable housing. The objective of the proposal, which is only in the beginning stages of being drafted, is to increase the number of properties for which the city can offer developers […]
affordable housing
This general term refers to housing that is affordable to Austinites, with or without subsidy.
Posted inCourts
Mueller homeowners reach agreement with TCAD
The Travis Central Appraisal District has reached an agreement with the owners of three affordable homes in the Mueller development who sued the district claiming their appraisals were too high because they were not allowed sell their homes at market value. Those homes are generally reserved for families earning 80 percent of the median family […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Cactus Rose, mobility plans and… Benghazi?
Communicant bounced from “kangaroo court”…Something unusual happened at Travis County Commissioners Court last week. For the first time in months, the weekly segment of the agenda set aside for public communications was actually taken advantage of by residents with specific county-related concerns. The room was filled with palpable awe when, one after another, three separate […]
Posted inHousing
Austin’s first-ever housing plan hits City Hall
This week, city leaders released a draft of Austin’s first-ever strategic housing plan. Unlike broader visions for the city’s future, it focuses on how development will impact the housing supply. The plan is the direct result of a startling 2015 audit of the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department. In that audit, the Office of […]
Posted inPlanning
Sun Chase promises more affordable housing
City Council approved planned unit development (PUD) zoning on second reading for the Sun Chase development in southeast Travis County, also known as the Southeast Travis County Municipal Utility District, on Thursday, with a new provision for 3 percent of single-family lots to be set aside for affordable housing. The developer’s attorney, Richard Suttle, told […]
Posted inHousing
East Austin zoning mess fix moves forward, for now
A fix for a mistake made two years ago is headed to City Council, and nine east side properties once owned by the city hang in the balance, as does a deal struck for affordable housing as a condition of the 2014 sale of those properties. City of Austin Planning and Zoning Department Manager Jerry […]
Posted inCity Council
Council pledges to protect mobile home residents
The majority of City Council members voted Thursday to protect mobile home residents along with other tenants who are displaced by development. In an 8-1-1 vote with Council Member Don Zimmerman opposed, Council Member Sheri Gallo abstaining and Mayor Steve Adler out of town, Council passed a resolution directing staff to include owners and renters […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council OKs road resolution for housing project
City Council voted unanimously Thursday to direct City Manager Marc Ott to consider including in next year’s budget the construction costs of a public road that would run through a Habitat for Humanity project in Southeast Austin. Such a move would facilitate building more affordable housing in the subdivision. Council Member Ora Houston was absent […]
Posted inHousing
Council approves fee-in-lieu for more housing
Greg Anderson, director of operations for Austin Habitat for Humanity, pronounced his organization “happy, happy, happy” on Friday. The declaration came after City Council approved a deal that would allow Cielo Property Group to build a new mixed-use project with a slightly higher density than would be allowed without Council approval and to give Austin […]
Posted inDevelopment
Affordable housing manuever loses at City Hall
Though it earned the respect of some Planning commissioners, an attempt to leverage a site plan extension for more affordable housing on the near-east side didn’t pay off last week. At last week’s Planning Commission meeting, Nikki Hoelter, who works in the city’s Development Services Department, detailed the appeal of an administrative extension at 2015 […]
Posted inDevelopment
SXSW panel spotlights urban housing
Austin is no snowflake when it comes to issues of housing, affordability and density. Cities across the United States grapple with similar challenges even if they don’t have the robust economy that is driving growth here in Central Texas. Last Friday, two mayors from opposite sides of the country sat on a South by Southwest […]
Posted inCity Council
Rosewood Courts’ historic zoning back in play
It was far from clear what had happened after a flurry of amendments and votes. But when the dust settled, the question of historic zoning for Rosewood Courts remained open. City Council voted 8-0-3 to initiate historic zoning on Rosewood Courts, with Council members Don Zimmerman, Sheri Gallo and Pio Renteria abstaining. That vote will […]