Big City Living

Austin city council constructs plan to build 60,000 new affordable housing units

Austin aerial skyline with bridges and Lady Bird Lake

Austin leaders have committed to providing 60,000 new affordable housing units.

Ryan Conine/Getty Images

KVUE — Sixty-thousand new affordable housing units are in the planning stages for Austin.

The city council approved its housing goals in a meeting on June 6. As a part of the goals, city leaders plan to build 60,000 new affordable housing units across Austin. The city wants to accomplish this task in the next few years. This is a big move as Austin becomes a more expensive place to live.

This goal came out of their housing blueprint. In it, they aimed to build a total of 135,000 units and out of that number they decided to set aside 60,000 as income-restricted housing.

The affordable housing will be spread out between the 10 districts within Austin, specifically looking at areas where there's easy access to public transportation and areas that are becoming gentrified.

Back in August, Council Member Greg Casar said it's important that those units are spread out — some in every single district — not just one part of town.

---

To read the full story, head to KVUE.

high-rises downtown

Howdy, Neighbor

City of Austin checks in for new short-term rental rule debates

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash

undefined

Austinites may be friendly, but the city as a whole fosters many conflicting feelings about vacation rentals. A January memo from assistant city manager Veronica Briseño alerts the City Council that some proposed changes are coming regarding regulating short-term rentals (STRs).

The changes will have to go through several filters first: public meetings plus separate Planning Commission and City Council meetings in February and April. The memo says "the changes will apply to a significant number of properties throughout the City."

It's difficult to summarize or forecast concerns associated with STRs, because they vary widely depending on changing factors. It's not just who's visiting and how well they behave, but whether or not the homeowners are properly licensed, what each platform's changing policies are, and of course how well either can enforce these things.

Austin has taken swings at creating a system that works, but some court rulings have rendered them unenforceable. Here are some (not all) topics mentioned in the January memo and attached working ordinances:

Changing STR provisions to make them an additional (accessory) use to all residential uses, in zoning terms
Adding density caps on STR owners and operators
Allowing "existing STRs to continue provided that the STR does not become a nuisance and property ownership remains the same"
Making sure STRs fit into their quiet, residential neighborhoods
Avoiding increasing affordability issues
Giving more options for enforcement
Encouraging preserving rather than demolishing buildings in accordance with the HOME Initiative

Before any public meetings, there will be a virtual info session Tuesday, January 21, from 11 am to 1 pm. There will also be three more in-person sessions (listed in at the same link) January 22, 23, and 27 in various locations.

The first meeting scheduled is for the Joint Planning Commission and City Council on Tuesday, February 4, at 1 pm at City Hall. A full schedule of meetings publicinput.com.

rentals civic issues city council