In an effort to increase housing production and bring down housing costs, the city council approved a resolution calling for reduced lot sizes and higher density in single-family neighborhoods.
The Austin City Council moved to reduce minimum lot sizes and increase density in residential neighborhoods, reports Mike Christen in the Austin Business Journal. The proposal calls for a reduction in minimum lot size from 5,750 square feet to 2,500 square feet or less, and a code change allowing for up to three residential units on one lot without preserving existing buildings.
As Christen explains, “Austin is falling behind on goals outlined in its Strategic Housing Blueprint, adopted in 2017, to create 135,000 homes within 10 years.”
“The resolution approved by City Council also calls for the creation of new site development regulations that would facilitate the creation of smaller lots in areas zoned for residential use. And it calls for adjustments to regulations for setbacks, height, impervious cover and floor-to-area ratio, eliminating minimum site area and building coverage requirements and methods to mitigate potential runoff from the increase in impervious cover that the changes will create.”
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