The Community Development Commission voiced frustration over lack of outreach and discussion with the CodeNEXT team during a special called meeting earlier this month. The first draft of CodeNEXT, Austin’s land code rewrite, has been out since January, but some commissioners felt the team excluded lower-income families and individuals from the dialogue. Tensions brewed when […]
City of Austin Downtown Density Bonus
The downtown density bonus program was approved as part of the city’s 2011 Downtown Austin Plan. The program is a way that developers can earn additional height and density by providing community benefits, most notably affordable housing or money towards affordable housing.
Posted inLand Development Code
The many balancing acts in Austin’s quest for affordable housing
When it comes to providing housing that is affordable to Austin’s poor and working-class residents, city leaders have very few tools at their disposal. The city is barred by state law from implementing the types of regulations that other major cities have used to create cheaper housing, notably rent control and inclusionary zoning. This spring […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT proposes new program to bolster affordable housing
CodeNEXT, the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code, dramatically expands an existing city program that offers developers incentives to build housing reserved for low- and middle-income buyers and renters. In a presentation to City Council members on Wednesday, the consultants hired to craft CodeNEXT explained that the “density bonus” program included in the […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Bills threaten Austin’s land use plans
Brie Franco, the city of Austin’s chief legislative strategist, gave City Council a brief update at Tuesday’s work session before rushing off to do some last minute lobbying. The city is facing a number of legislative attempts to curb its powers in the area of land use, Franco explained. That includes House Bill 2959 and […]
Posted inPlanning
Tovo pushes alternatives in lieu of fees-in-lieu
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo is pushing ahead in her efforts to steer the city’s density bonus programs in a new direction. Near the end of last year, she initiated a staff review of the current programs, suspecting that there was room for improvement. Neighborhood Housing and Community Development staff members presented their findings to […]
Posted inDevelopment
Council may revamp affordable housing policy
City Council will pick up a proposal today that Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo hopes will lead to more on-site affordable housing in future developments throughout the city. Based on a discussion at a work session on Tuesday, however, it appears that Council will move slowly on the item. “I have been waiting for years […]
Posted inThe Code
Council poised to revisit density bonus programs
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo is moving forward with a proposal to take a closer look at the city’s density bonus programs and at whether it’s a good idea to eliminate the fee-in-lieu option that allows developers to pay into a fund to construct affordable housing rather than build affordable housing on the site of […]
Posted inDevelopment
Committee considers density bonus revamp
On Monday, City Council’s Planning and Neighborhoods Committee started the conversations about whether it could change Austin’s Downtown Density Bonus Program to require on-site affordable housing. The Downtown Density Bonus Program allows developers increased entitlements, such as more height, in exchange for community benefits like affordable housing, public art and open space. When Council adopted […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission OKs increased FAR for downtown high-rise
The Planning Commission heard its first Downtown Density Bonus Program case last week. And, while there will be a contribution to the city’s affordable housing trust fund, developers were also asking for entitlements greater than those offered under the Downtown Austin Plan. Ultimately, the commission supported the project unanimously. Riverside Resources Investments II, Ltd., […]
Posted inDevelopment
Planning Commission won’t amend NCCD to fix permit mistake
The Planning Commission has shot down a city staff scheme to fix a mistake that left a neighborhood business in limbo. Though the request was solely to initiate an amendment to the Hyde Park Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD,) the Planning Commission declined to wade into those waters at all. The commission voted unanimously […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council makes late changes to Downtown Density Program
There were big changes at the last minute for the city’s Downtown Density Bonus Program Thursday night. City Council voted 7-0 to codify community benefits of the Downtown Density Bonus Program not relating to affordability. They also voted to include the Rainey Street area in the program and establish an affordable housing land trust […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Politics
Council looks at compromise on Rainey Street density bonus plan
Austin City Council members returned Tuesday to the question of how to calculate public amenities associated with density bonuses for projects located in the Rainey Street neighborhood downtown. As part of the discussion – postponed from Council’s last agenda – Council Member Laura Morrison offered a potential compromise. Morrison’s proposal would adopt the Downtown […]