District 9 City Council Member Zo Qadri will sponsor a resolution “kick(ing) off the process to close the windowless-apartment loophole,” which in recent years has surfaced as a problem for students at the University of Texas at Austin and residents in West Campus. Qadri announced his plan during the Housing and Planning Committee’s meeting on […]
City Council Housing and Planning Committee
Posted inHousing
Council orders overhaul of SMART housing program
City Council voted this week to proceed with an overhaul of the SMART housing program. The SMART (Safe, Mixed-Income, Accessible, Reasonably Priced, Transit-Oriented) housing program grants certain fee waivers to housing developments that agree to include affordable housing. The list of waived fees includes permit, capital recovery and construction inspection fees. Austin adopted SMART in […]
Posted inLand Development Code
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 land use regulations outside the central business district. Parking requirements have already been eliminated downtown, […]
Posted inPlanning
Housing and Planning Department maps out next steps following compatibility reform vote
Following City Council’s move last week to recalibrate compatibility requirements, city staff joined the Housing and Planning Committee on Tuesday for an update on what’s next. Currently, Austin’s compatibility standards affect development up to 540 feet from lots zoned as Urban Family Residence (SF-5) or lower, a distance far beyond the nationwide average. Proponents say […]
Posted inLand Development Code
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 called meeting, during which it received a briefing from staff on a plan for prioritizing […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Transit-oriented development plan prompts parking discussions
Parking has been at the center of discussions around the equitable transit-oriented development policy plan, a document City Council plans to vote on this week that will guide future housing and land use policies around Project Connect stations. Elected officials and community leaders who spoke last Thursday at a special joint meeting on eTODs at […]
Posted inHousing
Majority of Austin’s short-term rentals operating illegally
As the city struggles to enforce short-term rental regulations, a large majority of Austin’s STRs continue to operate illegally, according to a Sept. 6. presentation from the Code Department to the City Council Housing and Planning Committee. There are anywhere between 9,000 and 11,000 STR listings in Austin, depending on the day, according to José Roig, […]
Posted inPreservation
East Seventh historic zoning case sails through Planning Commission
A 116-year-old property at 902 E. Seventh St. stands a fighting chance against demolition following the Planning Commission’s recommendation last Tuesday to zone the site historic. The single-story folk Victorian home, currently operating as storage space for neighboring restaurant Gabriela’s, was purchased in 2019 as part of a package deal with several nearby properties. Despite […]
Posted inHousing
Hotel industry rebound pinches city’s acquisition strategy to solve homelessness
The city may have to shift away from its strategy of converting hotels and motels into temporary and permanent supportive housing sites for the homeless, due to a rebound in the lodging market that has raised prices and cut down on available properties. Tuesday’s City Council work session included a progress report from homeless strategy […]
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 inHousing
City anticipating three new hotels for homeless housing
The city expects to have about 190 new hotel rooms available by the end of June to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless people who are found to need long-term assistance to avoid winding up on the streets again. Approximately 60 additional affordable units will be operated by a nonprofit partner. During a presentation at […]
Posted inHousing
Austin says it will sell city-owned property to families affected by gentrification
The city of Austin says it will give people from gentrifying neighborhoods priority in the application process for more than two dozen homes it’s selling to low-income families. This is the first time the city plans to use what it calls a “preference policy,” which was approved by City Council members in 2018. Other cities, […]