Austinites who really love shopping at small, local businesses may be seeing more of them soon thanks to a new resolution by City Council. Approved Thursday, March 26, it encourages Front Yard Businesses (FYBs) — literally, businesses that people offer from their own yards, like farm and bakery stands.
The resolution emphasizes that commercial real estate costs can keep people who would otherwise have a business from starting one. It also points out that having small businesses within residential neighborhoods enhances walkability. Categories it expects to bolster include "artisanal goods, garden stands for plants, and service windows for small-scale repair services."
The guidelines are built in harmony with Texas state legislation (H.B. 2464 and S.B. 541), which protects “no-impact” home businesses — which means they do not generate traffic or noise, or employ enough people to create trouble with occupancy — as well as cottage food production operations.
However, Austin leaders wanted to take the law one step further; the resolution says, "these laws favor “hidden” commerce over the active, visible neighborhood engagement that defines Austin’s character." The problem was that Land Development Code had banned visible business markers like storefronts and signs. The resolution hopes to "[move] commerce from hidden spare rooms into professional, scale-appropriate ACUs [Accessory Commercial Units] and FYBs."
In practical terms, the resolution allows amendments to the city code to do the following:
- Create a new land-use category for businesses up to 200 square feet
- Authorize sales by the new ACUs
- Prohibit tobacco sales
- Allow businesses to operate from front porches, yards, and stands
- Remove or lower barriers including car trip limitations, front setback regulations, signage regulations, and more
- Create a task force to implement the program
- Create a "pink zone" to test the program
The Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) and the nonprofit Homemade Texas have released statements in support of the resolution.
"The proposal before you recognizes something important: small-scale neighborhood commerce is not a problem to be restricted. Rather, it is an asset that strengthens communities," says the letter from Homemade Texas. "Front yard businesses and similar activities help neighbors connect with each other."
