Local real estate and development professionals weighed in Wednesday on the potential impact of the city’s many recent changes in land use policy, which were intended to add housing stock and address the affordability problem that has affected the area for roughly a decade. At the monthly breakfast panel held by Urban Land Institute Austin, […]
City of Austin Land Development Code
The city’s Land Development Code regulates building and development in the city of Austin.
Posted inLand Development Code
Following HOME approvals, Council calls for affordability programs to aid longtime residents
Lower- and middle-income homeowners are the target population for a resolution approved by City Council on Thursday intended to create the financing needed to build more homes on existing lots. The resolution, which was led by Council Member José Velásquez, was approved on the consent agenda with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting against. The item […]
Posted inHousing
East Austin organizers push for equity/anti-displacement overlay to address affordability
A coalition of community groups representing East Austin is pushing City Council to require new infill residences built on smaller lots in the Eastern Crescent be made affordable for longtime residents at risk of being displaced due to the rising cost of living. Prior to Council’s recent passage of the HOME 2 slate of land […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council tailors ETOD zoning, affordability requirements to maximize transit use
Included in last week’s slate of land use changes approved by City Council were adjustments to the density bonus incentives and other guidelines covering equitable transit-oriented developments intended to maximize usage of transit corridors throughout the city. Following the prior day’s marathon public comment session, Council reconvened on May 17 to consider a dozen amendments […]
Posted inPlanning
Following HOME 2 passage, advocates seek Council action on short-term rentals
Members of the Tourism Commission are pushing City Council to move forward with an agreement with short-term rental platforms that could make it possible for the city to more easily regulate the thousands of unlicensed homes operating as lodging businesses across Austin. Earlier this month, Bishop Chappell – a commissioner and also a member of […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council adopts ordinance for electric vehicle charging stations
After adopting ordinances that promise to provide more housing on smaller pieces of land and changing compatibility requirements to allow taller buildings to be built closer to single-family housing, City Council quickly adopted changes to the city Land Development Code to allow some properties to be used for electric vehicle charging stations. The vote came […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin cuts minimum lot size by more than half, requiring less land to build a home
More homes, less lawn. This was the pitch made by Austin City Council members Friday when, for the first time in 80 years, they voted to lower the amount of land needed to build one house. The change allows property owners to build a home on as little as 1,800 square feet of land. This […]
Posted inCity Council
Pro and con: HOME 2 brings out the speakers
The May 16 City Council meeting promised to be a long one, with four controversial changes to the city’s development rules and one much less controversial but important proposal creating rules for placement of electric vehicle charging stations. Many of those who signed up in support or opposition of the various aspects of HOME 2 […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Austin will vote on rules that impact housing. Here’s what’s on the table.
This explainer was originally published April 10. It has been updated ahead of City Council’s vote. How do you retrofit a city that never planned for a population of nearly 1 million or for an extensive public transit system? Should you? These are the questions facing City Council members as they prepare to vote today on […]
Posted inLand Development Code
As Council moves to adopt HOME 2, groups call on Council to reject it or make major changes
At Tuesday’s work session, City Council discussed proposed amendments to the Land Development Code labeled HOME 2, as well as Equitable Transit-Oriented Development, citywide compatibility standards and rules for electric vehicle charging stations. But the majority of discussion was about the proposed set of rules designed to make it easier to build more housing on […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Environmental Commission recommends site plan changes
At last week’s Environmental Commission meeting, members gave a positive recommendation for reducing the size of infill residential lots, including changes designed to make the process more efficient and less costly, while ensuring that drainage requirements are sufficient to prevent flooding neighboring lots. In addition, they approved a resolution supporting changes to the Land Development […]
Posted inCourts
After city lost case on development rules, it’s been ordered to pay attorneys’ fees
Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum has ruled that the city of Austin must pay $175,000 in attorneys’ fees in a case on the city’s failure to abide by a previous order requiring notice to property owners when the city is changing development rules. Mangrum’s assistant sent notice on Tuesday to the city’s attorneys and to […]