Earlier this year, Princeton University’s Eviction Lab came out with a harrowing statistic: Austin’s eviction filings are the highest number they’ve been since 2020. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Austin applied an eviction moratorium, but they returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 when the ban was lifted and have since continued climbing. […]
Housing
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City Council committee considers tenant relocation protections
In 2016, Austin passed the tenant notification and relocation ordinance, meant to ensure that tenants receive adequate notice when there’s demolition or renovation of their home so that they can relocate successfully from development-induced displacement. Now the city is trying to figure out how to put the program into practice. Originally, the city had intended it […]
Posted inHousing
Council to consider creating fund to save older, affordable apartments
The city of Austin may soon launch a public-private fund to help preserve older apartment complexes at risk of demolition, drawing on philanthropic, financial and corporate contributions. The idea is to give property owners access to capital for repairs and upgrades without forcing them to raise rents to cover the costs. On Thursday, City Council […]
Posted inHousing
Housing plan advances to Council as concerns grow over federal funding cuts
The Community Development Commission stopped short of endorsing the city’s annual federal housing funding plan at its meeting last week and instead used the opportunity to raise alarms about how looming federal budget cuts could worsen the city’s homelessness crisis. The FY25/26 Action Plan, which outlines the use of roughly $14 million in federal housing […]
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Office slowdown sparks new downtown housing ambitions
Downtown Austin leaders are increasingly focused on residential development as a way to stabilize the city’s core, as office vacancy rates remain stubbornly high and some buildings struggle to find tenants at all. With more than one-fifth of downtown office space currently sitting vacant or available for near-term leases (and some estimates placing that number […]
Posted inHousing
Housing staff wants more funding, support for land trusts to build affordable homes
The Housing Department is pushing City Council to continue to provide funding for land acquisition and development subsidies to preserve long-term housing affordability. In a recent memo responding to a Council resolution from last year, housing officials describe land banking as “the bedrock” of future affordability. The memo acknowledges that expanding the city’s community land […]
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Housing staff suggest ADU pilot program aimed at 80% MFI households
City housing staff say a publicly-funded program to help homeowners build accessory dwelling units would likely see limited uptake and may fall short of the city’s affordability goals, particularly for households most at risk of displacement. In a recent memo responding to a 2023 resolution from City Council, Interim Housing Director Mandy DeMayo outlined findings […]
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City eyes fund to preserve affordable housing, capitalize on overbuilt apartment market
In talking about the possibility of establishing a city fund specifically for preserving existing affordable housing stock, Council Member Marc Duchen said part of the motivation is to give the city more tools to step in before property owners decide to rebuild aging multifamily properties at higher price points. Using the recent, controversial redevelopment of […]
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As Acacia Cliffs rezoning is approved, Critics say Council has sold out on its affordability commitments
The zoning reforms that have come to define our City Council are having a moment in the spotlight, earning shout outs from Vice President J.D. Vance and New York Times bestseller Ezra Klein, whose recent book Abundance presents an approach that will be familiar to most Austinites–tweaking land use code alongside market-based incentives as a […]
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A proposed apartment demolition has some questioning Austin affordable housing program
A city program meant to ensure affordable housing is built into new developments is facing criticism for its potential to displace more than 200 residents already living in affordable units in a West Austin complex. Now, they’re asking the city council to reconsider the proposal from the property owner. Density Build 90, also known as […]
Posted inLand Development Code
City plans navigator expansion, financing tools for HOME initiative
City housing leaders have found that efforts to expand and improve access to Austin’s HOME initiative are progressing on multiple fronts, with program refinements, interdepartmental coordination and new support strategies underway. A recent memo from the Housing Department outlines these developments, which focus on helping low- and moderate-income residents stay in their homes, build additional […]
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SMART housing to see changes in “phase two” of City Council-initiated review
A city incentive program intended to produce “Safe, Mixed-use, Accessible, Reasonably-priced and Transit-oriented” housing may be getting a little smarter with changes working their way towards City Council. The Housing Department is proposing four amendments to improve the “operation and functionality” of the program, per a presentation on the amendments given to the Planning Commission […]