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 […]
compatibility standards
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
Planning Commission proposes changes to compatibility
The Planning Commission Tuesday launched a proposal that would let single-family homeowners decide to allow taller buildings near them. The change to city code would let individual owners waive compatibility, a rule that limits the height of buildings near single-family homes and, critics say, acts as a barrier to building more housing in the city. The […]
Posted inPlanning
Mixed-use project in Bouldin Creek clears final hurdle
The Board of Adjustment granted a height increase March 13 that will allow a mixed-use project in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood to move forward. Plans for the Copeland at 1000 S. First St. include two condominium buildings with a total of 120 units, a 95-room hotel and 65,000 square feet of offices, all with underground […]
Posted inCourts
Group again sues city over changes to development rules
A group that stopped the city’s rewrite of the Land Development Code has filed a motion in Travis County District Court to undo changes City Council made to the code after that ruling. Led by Francisca Acuña, the group contends the city violated the order when Council approved the Vertical Mixed Use 2 (VMU2) Ordinance, […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Bill to curb compatibility filed at the state Legislature
A bill filed last week at the Texas Legislature would significantly curtail compatibility, a rule in Austin that restricts the height of buildings near single-family homes. Senate Bill 491, filed by state Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), would in effect allow taller buildings to be built closer to single-family homes. If the bill passes, compatibility height […]
Posted inHousing
Council relaxes compatibility requirements along selected corridors
City Council has approved changes to building compatibility standards that will allow for some increases in housing density along a handful of transit corridors. The ordinance amending City Code Title 25 was approved Friday, modifying parking requirements and allowing for increased building heights closer to single-family homes located on the targeted corridors, with some entitlements […]
Posted inLand Development Code
City reverses decision, granting variance from compatibility in storage unit case
City Council is set to consider the topic of compatibility on a larger scale Thursday. Meanwhile, the Board of Adjustment took a second swing at the issue on a more granular level, voting at its last meeting to overturn a previous denial of a compatibility variance in South Austin. The applicants were seeking a variance […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commission says Council’s compatibility reforms don’t go far enough
The Planning Commission last Tuesday recommended broader changes to compatibility standards than what City Council proposed earlier this year, setting the stage for a Council discussion on Dec. 1 over how much to relax the rule. Compatibility, a rule limiting the height of buildings near single-family homes, has come under increased scrutiny for its role […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Because of compatibility, mini storage units block 10 homes in South Austin
The Board of Adjustment failed last Monday to approve a compatibility waiver that would have allowed 10 townhomes at 1609 Matthews Lane in South Austin. In order to build the units, the owner of the half-acre property requested a variance to compatibility, which limits the height of buildings near single-family homes and requires additional setbacks. Though […]
Posted inLand Development Code
East Austin townhomes move forward with relaxed compatibility
A plan to build townhomes in the Chestnut neighborhood is moving forward with the unanimous blessing of the Planning Commission, which granted permission to build closer to nearby homes than would normally be allowed. Developers of the project at 1400 Cedar Ave. won a waiver from the commission to build 18 feet from the west […]
Posted inLand Development Code
How tall should buildings be when they’re near single-family homes?
There’s a building on South Lamar that looks like a stepladder. Well, maybe a stepladder if you laid it on the ground. Or, maybe just a set of stairs – for a giant. “As you move across Lamar, you’re literally seeing the diagram of the zoning,” said Maija Kreishman, a principal with Michael Hsu Office […]