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MARCH 2018 • VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 11
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Housing advocates say Austin's city staff aren't listening; CodeNEXT Draft 3 way off mark By Riki Markowitz
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or Austin’s affordable housing advocates, February 12th wasn’t the greatest day. That’s when the city released Draft 3 of CodeNEXT. This most recent version of the land development code was supposed to be presented for review back in November. But rather than unveiling the latest and final version on the originally scheduled day – including all the changes suggested by the public, housing
advocates, and planning commissions – the city manager’s office released a memo, “Subject: CodeNEXT Update – Revised Timeline.” It was difficult to gauge if the postponement was a good sign or a bad sign. It depends on whom you asked. Draft 3 was finally released a few weeks ago. For anyone working to increase income-restricted housing stock, it was an extraordinary disappointment. It’s also the last draft. There’s only one chance left to get CodeNEXT right. The only problem with the document is that it doesn’t achieve any of the goals advocates have for reducing the housing affordability crisis. City leaders are worried. After incorporating comments and suggestions for Draft 2, everyone hoped the controversies would be addressed. Even Mayor Steve Adler said in his February 20th State of the City address that version 3 is only “closer” to a solution that everyone will be happy with. The latest draft of the land code relies on heavy development in some neighborhoods and too little in others. Homeowners are worried about gentrification and some city council representatives are asking why their districts will see so much new development and congestion (primarily East Austin) while there will be so little in other zip codes (primarily the west side). One thing everyone agrees on, though, is that Austin
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is stuck in a housing affordability crisis. It’s not all bad news. The revised regulations do call for coding and permit leniency on accessory dwelling units (ADUs), such as garage homes and backyard “granny” flats. Reduced restrictions on ADUs are certainly a step in the right direction for those worried about compromising Austin’s character. Even for good news, there’s rebuttal: “Austin doesn’t have a neighborhood character crisis. We have an affordable housing crisis,” says Wayne Gerami, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) vice president of client services. Gerami goes on to say, “to move the needle and do something about the affordability mess, Austin needs more types of housing in more parts of the city.” If the bad press surrounding the release of Draft 3 sounds intense, that’s because it is. Gerami says CodeNEXT a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.” When the land development code passes, it will be in place for decades to come. In his speech, Adler said that managing Austin’s growth while also preserving “the spirit and soul of our city will be difficult, if not impossible, if we don’t get CodeNEXT done right.” One of the biggest points of contention for housing advocates is that earlier in the process, consultants for the city proposed scenarios that would allow for some 18,000 new affordable units, which is much less than the 60,000 units
Changes Wanted by Evolve Austin • Allows more housing of all types to be built in more parts of town. • Maximizes affordable housing production • Unleashes the corridors so that more people of all incomes can live near robust transit without the financial burden of owning a car. • Creates appropriate transition zones near major corridors so that more people can live in our neighborhoods and can do so more affordably. • Offers affordable housing incentives that better align with the cost of building income-restricted housing so that Austin can leverage more private dollars to fill big public funding gaps for income-restricted units. • Streamlines the review and permitting process and reduces red tape so that housing can be built faster and for less. • Reduces the cost of building housing so that public, private and non-profit housing dollars can go further to address our community’s growing need. Who is Evolve Austin? A non-profit that unites partner organizations that leverage the resources to guide the city toward positive, inclusive change and the implementation of the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan.
Front Page: Continued on page 28
Features of the Month Column: ABoR—CodeNEXT: The Key to a More Diverse Austin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 3 Column: WCREALTORS—Ready, Set, Sell!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 7 Column: HBA—A Flexible Land Development Code is Needed to Tackle Affordability Crisis. . . pg. 15 Column: Women's Council—CodeNEXT: What is That? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 18 Column: RRC—CodeNEXT Will Impact Our Lives for Decades to Come, Get Involved!. . . . pg. 20. Expert Commentary: Financing a Fixer Upper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 22 Associates in Progress: Capsa Ventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 25 Associates in Progress: StarPointe Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 26 Upcoming Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 33