City Council voted this week to start the process of increasing minimum fire safety standards at pet boarding facilities. Item 42 on Thursday’s agenda initiates a set of amendments to the Land Development Code to “provide minimum fire safety standards for facilities housing or holding animals on a 24-hour basis,” the resolution reads. The proposed […]
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
Council takes a step toward ending compatibility standards
City Council members on Thursday took their first major step toward making key changes to rules limiting the height of buildings near single-family homes on a citywide basis. Austin’s compatibility rules, which are among the strictest in the country, have been blamed consistently for the city’s failure to produce reasonably priced housing. Last fall, the […]
Posted inHousing
Council OKs getting rid of some occupancy limits
As expected, City Council on Thursday moved forward with a resolution from District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri directing city management to eliminate occupancy limits related to familial status within the city’s Land Development Code. The final vote was 9-1, with Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voting no and Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison not in attendance. […]
Posted inLand Development Code
City to ban unsafe fence designs
The city will soon prohibit unsafe fence designs, like those with spiked or widely spaced pickets, to reduce the risk of serious injury and death in humans and animals. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended City Council approve the new rules. This comes a year and a half after Council passed a resolution to […]
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
Council votes to make it easier to build along highways
City Council voted Thursday to eliminate a section of the Land Development Code that governs development along highways, hoping the change will help add housing units in the city and “eliminate barriers to the creation of income-restricted units under established city density bonus programs.” In addition, according to a staff report, the change “will prioritize […]
Posted inHousing
Planning Commission rethinks ‘stealth dorm’ occupancy limits
In 2014, City Council passed the so-called “stealth dorm” ordinance, which lowered occupancy limits to prevent large groups of students from living together in single-family homes. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to reconsider occupancy limits in hopes of making group living easier. The ordinance “unfortunately makes certain forms of housing illegal and makes […]
Posted inLand Development Code
City to calculate housing gains possible with new building height compatibility rules
City staff members are moving ahead with analyzing how a change to area building height compatibility requirements could disrupt the local housing market. The analysis, which was called for as part of a December resolution by City Council that was intended to lessen restrictions on taller developments near single-family homes, could be disrupted by state […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Council aims to make subdividing property easier
In a move aimed at increasing housing supply, City Council on Thursday passed a resolution to make it easier and cheaper to subdivide properties. Council Member Ryan Alter, the sponsor of the resolution, said that splitting land into multiple lots means more homes at cheaper prices. “If you take a lot, you divide it into […]
Posted inLand Development Code
City staffers provide ADU, “site plan lite” updates
City staffers updated the Planning Commission last week on efforts to make accessory dwelling units easier to build and to create a “site plan lite” to streamline permitting for small multifamily developments. City Council initiated the efforts through multiple resolutions over the past two years in hopes of encouraging more housing supply, especially “missing middle” […]
Posted inLand Development Code
A one-bedroom apartment comes with 1.5 parking spots. Austin could change that.
City Council members will decide Thursday whether to stop requiring developers to build parking. With some exceptions, city rules require most residential and commercial developers to build a minimum amount of parking spots. The number depends on several factors, including bedroom count, units or square footage of what’s being built. Council Member Zo Qadri, who […]
Posted inPlanning
Why aren’t there more tree-lined streets? Development professionals blame complicated city rules
Following the historic February ice storm that damaged over 10 million trees in Austin and knocked power out for 265,000 Austin Energy customers, city leaders are pushing to bury more power lines – a move aimed not only at protecting utility infrastructure but also allowing more trees to be planted along city streets. But even […]