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Land Development Code
City facing new legal challenge over Affordability Unlocked, other rules this week
The 18 plaintiffs who won a judgment against the city of Austin over its attempted rewrite of the Land Development Code in 2020 are going back to court this week. This time, they’ll attempt to overturn city regulations created in…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Aug 29, 2023
Board of Adjustment fee assistance program will launch Oct. 1
A long-awaited assistance program granting low-income homeowners waivers when seeking zoning variances will launch Oct. 1. The yearlong Board of Adjustment Applicant Assistant Program pilot will fund up to nine waivers – or $10,000 – for eligible applicants, according to…
Land Development Code • By Emma Freer • Jul 27, 2023
Council greenlights change to reduce land size needed to build a home in Austin
The size of land Austinites need to build a home on is about to get smaller – as part of an effort to encourage developers to build smaller and cheaper houses. City Council on Thursday approved a resolution that will start…
City Council • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Jul 21, 2023
Council considers code amendments to relax single-family zoning rules
City Council will consider an item at this week’s meeting that would begin the process of relaxing the city’s strict single-family zoning rules. Item 126, sponsored by Council Member Leslie Pool, directs the city manager to propose code amendments that…
Land Development Code • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 19, 2023
Staff releases expedited timeline for housing code amendments
An updated timeline for implementation of a bundle of city code amendments aimed at increasing housing supply is in the hands of City Council. In a memo dated July 13, Planning Department Director Lauren Middleton-Pratt revealed the updated Schedule of…
Land Development Code • By Nina Hernandez • Jul 18, 2023
Planning Commission urges quicker processing of Land Development Code amendments
With dozens of amendments to the city’s outdated Land Development Code currently in the works – many aimed at increasing supply and lowering costs for housing – City Council members and city staffers in recent weeks have discussed how to…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Jul 5, 2023
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Landmark commission pushes for ‘partnership’ on Sixth Street redevelopment
Despite trepidation from developers, the Historic Landmark Commission has recommended a heftier review process for Sixth Street properties slated to be redeveloped under proposed regulations. The code amendments, which were initiated by City Council in June 2022, could raise height…
Land Development Code • By Elizabeth Pagano • Jun 21, 2023
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…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jun 20, 2023
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…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Jun 9, 2023
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,…
Housing • By Jo Clifton • Jun 2, 2023
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…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • May 26, 2023
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…
