After leaving the Tenant Relocation Assistance Program without funds for six years, the city has found money in next year’s budget to help tenants displaced because of redevelopment. But without a dedicated funding source, the program’s longevity remains uncertain. On Tuesday, city staffers told the Housing and Planning Committee that the $700,000 earmarked in the […]
Austin City Council Housing and Community Development Committee
A City Council committee that reviews land use, housing and community development, and other concerns related to housing.
Posted inHousing
Housing department provides update on 2018 affordable housing bond expenditures
As part of its efforts to ease the city’s affordability crisis, Austin’s Housing and Planning Department stopped by the City Council Housing and Planning Committee last Tuesday to brief members on the status of affordable housing programs. The briefing tracked the $250 million in funding approved by voters in 2018. Breaking down the spending, Housing and […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Housing and Planning Committee examines barriers to ADU construction
The city’s Housing and Planning Committee met Tuesday to discuss the regulations for accessory dwelling units, secondary housing units located somewhere on a residential lot. As Austin’s housing crisis persists and the median sale price of homes continues to rise, ADUs can sometimes provide a more affordable housing option. But cumbersome local policies regulating ADUs can […]
Posted inHousing
With the help of city subsidies, over 3,000 affordable homes are in the pipeline
The Housing and Planning Department presented an update on the city’s development subsidy programs for affordable housing at Tuesday’s Housing and Planning Committee. “We know that it’s not enough, but we are proud of seeing that pipeline get filled,” said James May, community development manager with the department. “This solution of the city coming in […]
Posted inHousing
Allow ‘diversity of housing types,’ ABoR tells Council
Representatives from the Austin Board of Realtors offered policy recommendations to City Council for ways to slow down the drastic increase in housing prices since the beginning of the pandemic. The latest housing market statistics are “dramatic,” as Jeni Williams, ABoR’s deputy director of government affairs, put it at Tuesday’s Housing and Planning Committee meeting. Housing […]
Posted inHousing
On the heels of Prop B, housing committee supports rehousing 3,000 people in 3 years
The Housing and Planning Committee on Monday supported the main goal of Austin’s recent homelessness summit – rehousing 3,000 people experiencing homelessness within three years. The committee voted unanimously to recommend City Council approve a resolution turning the goal, created by community groups attending the summit, into official city policy. Council will vote on the resolution […]
Posted inHousing
Project Connect, anti-displacement funding made available
The Housing and Planning Committee convened on March 11, fielding discussion about anti-displacement funding, including $300 million from Project Connect tax revenue. The anti-displacement strategies discussed mostly involved using the money to acquire and preserve property in key locations for affordable housing. In order for the city to use the funds, it needs an interlocal […]
Posted inHousing
City’s RENT 2.0 program ramps up
After its launch earlier this summer, the second round of the city’s rental assistance program is gaining steam. The Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants, or RENT, program provides direct rental assistance to residents financially hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic. The first iteration of the RENT program disbursed $1.2 million to almost 1,700 families earlier […]
Posted inHousing
City unveils affordable housing and transit dashboard ahead of Project Connect
With a historic investment in public transit and affordable housing on the Nov. 3 ballot, the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department has launched an interactive map to track proximity of income-restricted housing stock to potential stations along the city’s transportation priority network. The tool, which was demonstrated to City Council’s Housing and Planning Committee […]
Posted inHousing
Housing committee talks scaling rental assistance program
The city’s Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants, or RENT program, which was announced last month, will be distributing $1.26 million in direct payments to landlords by Friday, May 15. The one-time relief will cover rent payments for at least 1,000 low-income households, but City Council members on the Housing and Planning Committee are eager […]
Posted inHousing
City tightens standards for housing development assistance loans
The Austin Housing Finance Corporation plans to be more selective with loan applications and partnerships for its Rental Housing Development Assistance and Ownership Housing Development Assistance programs in the coming years. The programs offer loans to developers promising housing units for a range of economically disadvantaged individuals, from those living in poverty to those who […]
Posted inHousing
Housing committee hears about district goals
Two years ago this month, Austin City Council adopted its first strategic housing blueprint, with the goal of developing metrics to define how the city should allocate its resources to produce affordable housing for residents earning less than 80 percent of the median family income. Over the next 10 years, the city is aiming to […]