An expansion of the city’s vertical mixed-use (VMU) affordable development program is the furthest along of a package of reforms intended to spur the construction of affordable housing.
The Austin City Council is in the process of drafting, amending, and weighing multiple changes to the city’s zoning code in the hopes of spurring new affordable housing developments without triggering too much political controversy along the way. The city is faced with an affordability crisis that rivals anything in California or New York.
According to an article by Ben Thompson for the Community Impact Newspaper, those measures include a height bonus for affordable housing developments, parking requirement reductions, ADU streamlining, and more.
Closest to the finish line, according to Thompson, is an expansion of the city’s vertical mixed-use (VMU) affordable development program. “The VMU change would create a new category within the program that offers development incentives such as increased height in exchange for affordable housing. Proposed by District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen late last year, an update called VMU2 would increase the allowed height for participating projects if more affordable units are offered.”
According to data from the city cited in the article, the VMU is the second-most effective development incentives, “second only to the University Neighborhood Overlay, which has spurred denser construction in the West Campus area.” According to the data, the VMU has created nearly 6,800 total housing units. Another 8,900 units are planned or under construction—of which 1,000 will be available at an affordable price.
More details on the other zoning changes under consideration as development incentives can be found in the source article, linked below.
FULL STORY: Council looks to 'push the envelope' on Austin affordable housing policies ahead of June votes
Austin’s ‘Affordability Unlocked’ Initiative Faces Lawsuit
A group of 18 plaintiffs is suing to overturn the city of Austin’s “Affordability Unlocked” planning initiative.
Early Returns on Austin's New Density Bonus Program: 2,337 Affordable Housing Units
Since late 2019, developers who deliver affordable housing units in Austin have received bonuses in height, density, parking, and other regulatory metrics, leading to a large number of new affordable housing units in the pipeline.
More States Consider Tax Breaks for Low-Income Housing Developers
Legislators in five U.S. states this year will consider laws that create a state tax incentive program for low-income housing developers.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo
Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.
Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.
Barrett Planning Group LLC
City of Cleburne
KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
