[CALL TO ORDER ]
[00:00:03]
OUR MAYOR PRO TEM ELLIS IS HERE, AND I THINK THAT'S THE, THE FULL EXTENT OF THE BODY.
SO IF EVERYBODY WANTS TO TAKE YOUR SEAT AND OR TAKE YOUR CONVERSATIONS OUT IN THE LOBBY, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH.
I'LL GIVE Y'ALL A MINUTE TO GET SETTLED, BUT WE ARE ABOUT TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
AND THE FAMOUS WORDS OF MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY.
I AM COUNCIL MEMBER NATASHA HARPER MADISON.
I AM THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE.
PROUDLY, UH, WE ARE MEETING IN CITY HALL.
WE ARE MEETING IN CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND WE ARE ABOUT TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 1:03 PM UH, BEFORE WE
[Public Communication: General ]
BEGIN DIVING INTO OUR AGENDA, I'D LIKE TO ALLOW OUR GUEST TO SPEAK ON THE ITEMS THAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR.CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE BEGIN CALLING UP SPEAKERS? YES.
SCOTT TURNER, FOLLOWED BY JOE PAUL, PAOLO CONNOLLY.
GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ORGANIZE AND PRIORITIZE, UH, THESE HOUSING RESOLUTIONS, UH, TODAY.
UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS IN THERE.
UM, MANY OF THOSE, UH, CAME OUT OF OUR DECISION TO UPDATE OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE WAY BACK IN 2012, WHICH WAS ALSO A GOOD IDEA.
UM, HOWEVER, UM, I THINK AUSTIN SOMETIMES HAS A HARD TIME, UH, SEEING THOSE GOOD IDEAS THROUGH FRUITION.
UM, SO AS YOU DISCUSS THESE TODAY, UM, PLEASE DEDICATE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO GET THEM DONE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
HIRE CONSULTANTS, HIRE ATTORNEYS.
DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER BECAUSE AFTER 10 YEARS WITH HOME PRICES AT A POINT WHERE THE AVERAGE AUSTINITE SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A HOUSE HERE, UH, WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO ME AS A HOME BUILDER, UM, WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO WAIT.
THANK YOU ALL FOR, UM, HOSTING THIS SPACE AND INVITING US TO SHARE OUR THOUGHTS.
UM, I'LL KEEP MINE VERY BRIEF.
I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
THERE IS A LONG CUE WITH A LOT OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CODE THAT STAFF HAS TO WORK ON, AND WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT WE TRY TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WHERE THINGS CAN BE DELETED OR ELIMINATED BECAUSE THEY'RE OUTDATED AND NO LONGER REFLECT, REFLECT THE REALITY THAT WE'RE IN.
WE SHOULD AVOID OVERTHINKING THINGS OVER COMPLICATING THINGS, ADDING NEW LAYERS OF COMPLEXITY TO AN ALREADY COMPLEX CODE.
WE NEED TO MOVE TOWARDS SIMPLICITY AND EFFICIENCY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
I ALSO, UM, WOULD ASK THAT WE PRIORITIZE CITYWIDE STRUCTURAL CHANGES SUCH AS PARKING, SUCH AS THE, UM, E T O D POLICIES, SUCH AS THINGS THAT CAN HAVE BROAD IMPACTS ON CREATING LARGE VOLUMES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH WE DESPERATELY NEED AND WE NEED TO SEE.
UM, WE NEED TO SEE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE.
UM, SO ANYTHING THAT CAN, THAT CAN DO THAT.
NOW, I AM ALSO IN FAVOR OF FINDING WAYS TO EFFICIENTLY, UM, USE STAFF TIME AND GROUPING ITEMS TOGETHER WHERE THEY MAKE SENSE.
UM, SO I APPRECIATE THE, THE THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION THAT WILL TAKE PLACE HERE TODAY.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING.
RON THROWER, FOLLOWED BY RYAN MILL, MAYOR PRO TIM COUNCIL MEMBERS RON THROWER.
UM, JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU MY PERSONAL TAKE ON THE CODE AMENDMENTS.
THERE IS ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT I KNOW THAT IS COMING FORWARD, AND THAT'S TO ELIMINATE THE, THE CYCLE OF, UH, BEING ABLE TO FILE FOR A FUTURE LAND USE MAP AMENDMENT.
TO ME, THAT'S GONNA BE A VERY SIMPLE FIX, BUT IT'S ALSO GOT A TIMING SITUATION BECAUSE WE GOT JULY COMING UP, AND IF WE CAN GET THIS ADDRESSED RATHER QUICKLY, THAT WOULD HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE IN BEING ABLE TO FILE APPLICATIONS AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE POISED TO FILE FOR AT LEAST ONE FUTURE LAND USE
[00:05:01]
MAP AMENDMENT IN JULY, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO FILE FOR THE ZONING CASE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER JUST BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SITUATION.BUT SIR, TH I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU, BUT WHEN YOU SAY WE HAVE JULY COMING UP, I DON'T KNOW THE CONTEXT.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY THAT THERE'S ONE MONTH OUT OF THE YEAR THAT THE EAST SIDE OF 35 CAN FILE FOR A FUTURE LAND USE MAP AMENDMENT WITHOUT, UM, AS A LANDOWNER, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT IN JULY TO FILE FOR THAT APPLICATION, AND THERE'S ONLY ABOUT FOUR LINES IN THE CODE THAT NEED TO BE ELIMINATED TO ALLOW FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD TAKE MINUTES COMPARATIVELY TO ALL THE OTHER COM UH, COMPLEX ITEMS THAT ARE, THAT ARE INITIATED.
UH, BUT AGAIN, IF WE CAN, IF WE CAN FILE ANY MONTH OUT OF THE YEAR, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO HELP HOUSING IN A TREMENDOUS WAY.
BUT IT ALSO HELPS US ON OUR SIDE OF JUST HAVING TO JUST DEAL WITH HOW WE FILE THE SUBSEQUENT ZONING APPLICATIONS THAT GO ALONG WITH THOSE FUTURE LAND USE MAP APPLICATIONS.
I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT WHAT MR. THROWER IS TALKING ABOUT IS AN INITIATIVE THAT I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER OF VELA IS WORKING ON.
WOULD YOU MIND EXPANDING ON THAT SO WE CAN JUST GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AS THE BODY? YES.
AND I WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S UP, I, I CAN'T REMEMBER JUNE 1ST OR JUNE 8TH, BUT LIKE, IT'S DRAFTED AND WE'VE GOT THE CO-SPONSORS AND WE'RE READY TO GO ON IT JUNE 1ST.
YEAH, IT'S OUT ON THE CURRENT AGENDA.
UH, I GET SWAMPED SOMETIMES AND I FORGET WHERE THINGS ARE
UH, BUT YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE DOING ANYTHING
UH, NOWADAYS, YOU KNOW, SO THE ONLY THING THAT WE'RE DOING IS SAYING THAT YOU CAN FILE FOR A FLU AMENDMENT ANYTIME YOU WANT, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, JULY, I THINK LIKE EAST AND THEN I THINK JANUARY WEST OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ELIMINATE THAT AND SAY LIKE, IF A LANDOWNER WANTS TO FILE FOR, UH, TO AMEND THEIR FLUB, THEY CAN AMEND, THEY CAN DO THAT WITHOUT ANY KIND OF TIME LIMITATION.
I'M GONNA TAKE A PAGE OUT OF MY PREDECESSOR'S BOOK.
WHEN YOU SAY FLUM, I WANT THESE PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU SAY THAT WE DON'T USE ACRONYMS. YEAH.
UH, SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE META ZONING, NOT THE ACTUAL ZONING, BUT IT'S ANOTHER OVERLAY OF THE, THE, THE ZONING.
UH, SO, SO THAT'S WHAT, UH, IT WOULD BE, BUT YEAH, APPRECIATE THAT.
JUNE 1ST CLERK, IF YOU'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD.
RYAN NELL, FOLLOWED BY KAI GRAY, I'M SORRY, FOLLOWED BY FELICITY MAXWELL.
OUR COMPLEX CODE DRIVES UP HOUSING COSTS ALL OVER AUSTIN AND MAKES A CAREER FOR A LIMITED SET OF HIGHLY SPECIALIZED, UH, PEOPLE IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
UM, I THINK THAT SIMPLIFYING OUR CODE WILL ALLOW MORE PEOPLE WITH LESS EFFORT TO PROVIDE MORE HOUSING.
SIMPLIFYING THE CODE WILL ALLOW STAFF TO SPEND LESS TIME REVIEWING PROJECTS AND RESEARCHING ALL OF THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT Y'ALL, UM, INEVITABLY MIGHT COME UP WITH AS YOU CREATE NEW POLICIES.
AND SIMPLIFYING WILL ALLOW YOU, THE COUNCIL, UH, TO SEE YOUR RESOLUTIONS TURN INTO LAW MORE QUICKLY INSTEAD OF WAITING MONTHS TO YEARS TO SEE THEM COME AND POTENTIALLY BEING THROWN ASIDE BY FUTURE COUNCILS.
I THINK THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE THE CODE MORE SIMPLE IS TO MAKE IT SHORTER BY ELIMINATING THE SECTIONS OF THE CODE THAT RESTRICT HOUSING OR ADD UNNEEDED COSTS SO WE CAN ELIMINATE OCCUPANCY LIMITS, WHICH DON'T ALLOW PEOPLE WHO FIT THE TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY STRUCTURE AND HAVE BEEN MAKING COOPERATIVE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT OVER THE YEARS.
UM, YOU CAN ELIMINATE THE BARRIER REQUIREMENTS SEPARATING MOBILE HOME PARKS FROM OTHER TYPES OF HOUSING.
YOU CAN ELIMINATE COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENTS, WHICH ALSO SEPARATE ONE FORM OF HOUSING FROM ANOTHER.
I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON GETTING RID OF PARKING LIMITS, AND I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP FOCUSED ON THAT.
UM, I ALSO THINK WE SHOULD ELIMINATE THE MCMANSION ORDINANCE.
I THINK STAFF SPENDS PROBABLY TOO MUCH TIME ENSURING THAT THE PROJECTS MEET THE COMPLICATED REQUIREMENTS OF THAT ORDINANCE.
UM, AND IT'S ALSO ADDING, I'M SURE, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF COSTS FOR ARCHITECTS TO DESIGN VERY BESPOKE HOUSING.
UM, I THINK WE SHOULD ELIMINATE THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THE SETBACKS THAT SET AN IMPLICIT MINIMUM LOT SIZE.
[00:10:01]
DON'T LOOK AT THOSE, AND I'M SURE THAT EVERYONE IN THE ROOM HAS THEIR SPECIFIC PET ISSUE THAT CAUSES THEM HEADACHES, AND I THINK WE SHOULD REALLY FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT, UM, AND GET RID OF THEM AND FOCUS ON SIMPLIFYING THE CODE.THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY, MS. MAXWELL.
GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE APPRECIATE THE TIME TODAY TO DISCUSS THESE VARIOUS CODE AMENDMENTS, WHICH HAVE BEEN COMING FORWARD FAST AND FURIOUS.
WE KNOW, UM, WE KNOW THAT ALL CITIZEN IS ALSO STILL IN A HEIS CRISIS, AND WE'RE REALLY HOPEFUL THAT THESE AMENDMENTS WILL GIVE US A CHANCE TO OFFER REAL RELIEF TO THOSE WHO ARE HOUSING STRETCHED RIGHT NOW IN OUR CITY, WHICH WE KNOW IS SO MANY OF US, WE'D LIKE TO ADVOCATE SPECIFICALLY FOR ADDITIONAL STAFF RESOURCES TO ENSURE THAT WE GET THE BEST OUTCOMES FROM THESE AMENDMENTS.
WE KNOW THAT STAFFING AND HOUSING AND PLANNING IS NOT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN ALL THE WORK THEY'RE ABOUT TO BE UNDERTAKING.
AS A HOUSING ADVOCATE, I LIKE TO SUGGEST THE CITYWIDE EFFORTS LIKE PARKING REFORM, TOWN ZONING AND E T O D BE PRIORITIZED SINCE THOSE ARE LIKELY TO HAVE THE LARGEST IMPACT ON OUR HOUSING PRICES.
IN ADDITION, LONG OVERDUE CHANGES LIKE ELIMINATING OCCUPANCY LIMITS ARE CRITICAL AS WE LOOK TO BUILD A MORE EQUITABLE CITY, ESPECIALLY AROUND HOUSING.
UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CLOSE WITH A FACT FROM SALINA SHIA THAT SHE SHARED YESTERDAY THAT 70% OF OUR, OUR MEDICS LIVE OUTSIDE OF TRAVIS COUNTY AND SPEND ABOUT 40% OF THEIR INCOME ON HOUSING.
I SINCERELY HOPE THAT WE KEEP THESE CRITICAL EMS WORKERS IN MIND AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR CODE AMENDMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE IN THE CITY THEY SERVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT TESTIMONY.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SHARING THAT, UH, STATISTIC.
UM, FOR FOLKS WHO DON'T KNOW, SELENA IS THE EMS, UM, UNION PRESIDENT, AND SO SHE'S BRINGING GOOD DATA.
IF SHE SAID 70% OF OUR OUR EMS PROFESSIONALS LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, I ABSOLUTELY TRUST THAT IS GOOD DATA.
UM, I'M THE CHAIR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOR THE AUSTIN INFO COALITION, AND YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M REALLY THANKFUL Y'ALL ARE HERE TO GET SOME MORE HOUSING.
OBVIOUSLY, AUSTIN HAS BEEN WORKING WITH AN OUTDATED LAND CODE FOR DECADES NOW.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT IS FINDING A WAY TO GET MORE HOUSING ON THE 90% OF AUSTIN.
THE PRESERVATION BONUS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME WE COULD GET MORE THAN TWO UNITS ON 90% OF AUSTIN THAT ZONED SF THREE.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE DURING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AND WAS GENERALLY POPULAR.
WE ALSO HAVE ADU EXPANSION, UM, WHICH INCLUDES ALLOWING IT TO BE BUILT EASIER TO BUILD AN ADU, BUT ALSO ALLOWING MORE ADUS ON CORNERS ALLEYS AND LOTS OVER 10,000 SQUARE FEET.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT LOS ANGELES, THE LOS ANGELES RECENTLY RELEASED A REPORT WHERE THEY HAD THREE TIMES AS MANY ADUS BUILT AS SINGLE FAMILY HOMES BUILT.
UM, SO IT'S POSSIBLE TO DO A FORM WHERE WE GET A LOT MORE OF THESE SMALLER TYPE OF UNITS.
WE JUST NEED TO REVISE OUR OUTDATED LAND CODE.
AND AGAIN, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR THAT, WHICH IS THE PRESERVATION BONUS, ADU EXPANSION, ALLOWING, YOU KNOW, TWO ADUS ON SOME OF THESE LARGER LOTS AND CORNER LOTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND, UH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME CHANGES.
NEXT UP, DANIEL KAMAN, FOLLOWED BY A ELENA CARNAHAN.
AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE TAKING THE TIME TO SORT OF LOOK AT THE 21 OR HOWEVER MANY AMENDMENTS ARE IN THE WORKS AND SORT OF DECIDING HOW WE'RE GONNA, UM, BE GETTING THE MOST SORT OF BANG FOR OUR BUCK OUT OF WHICH CODE AMENDMENTS AND WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE COME FIRST.
I THINK IT'S A GOOD EXERCISE AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD, UH, FOR THE DISCUSSION.
UM, MY SUGGESTION IS THAT I THINK THAT A, A CODE DELETION IS PROBABLY VERY SIMPLE, AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO SORT OF USE, UM, THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW PARKING IS A LOT OF JUST DELETING THE CODE.
IT'S NOT COMING UP AND HOPEFULLY DOESN'T TAKE A TON OF STAFF TIME.
I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT WE SAID CITYWIDE.
AND SO I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALSO INCLUDE, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T GET INCLUDED IN THESE CITYWIDE BUT NDS AND, UH, PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS AS WELL.
AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE AND DELETE IT, BUT JUST SAYING THAT THIS ITEM SUPERSEDES THOSE.
UM, AND SORT OF ON THE WHOLE IDEA OF SAVING TIME FOR BUILDERS AND FOR STAFF.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, GETTING THEM MORE MONEY IN THE PLANNING AND HOUSING DEPARTMENT SO THAT THEY ARE ADEQUATELY STAFFED UP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MOVING AS QUICKLY AS WE WANT TO, TO AMEND OUR CODE.
UM, BUT ALSO THINGS LIKE SITE PLAN LIGHT THAT, UM, MIGHT, YOU KNOW, DECREASE THE TIME THAT STAFF MEMBERS AND DEVELOPERS ARE JUST SITTING ON MONEY AND LIKE
[00:15:01]
AS LENDING COSTS ARE GOING UP, THAT'S THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A TWO MONTH DELAY THAT IS GETTING PASSED ON A RENTERS AND BUYERS.SO ANY OF THESE THAT ARE CAN SIMPLIFY THE CODE, UM, AND SAVE STAFF TIME AND BUILDER TIME, I THINK SHOULD BE PRIORITIES BECAUSE, UM, THAT WOULD, UH, YOU KNOW, REDUCE THE TIME IN THE, UH, CAPITAL COST OF PROJECTS.
UM, SOMETHING THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL THAT IS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY MORE COMPLICATED IS ETO DO T O D E T O D.
UM, SO AS SOON AS WE CAN GET MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE WE HAVE THE PLAN, BUT YOU KNOW, OUR LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, THEY CAME OUT WITH A RECOMMENDATION TODAY, SO WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE'RE GONNA WANT TO PRIORITIZE THOSE AREAS.
WHETHER IT'S NEW ZONING TYPOLOGIES OR VOLUNTARY OVERLAYS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL THAT WE MOVE INTO AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, SPEAKER, DO YOU MIND IF I ASK YOU A QUESTION? UM, YOU PUT SOME SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON SITE PLAN LIGHT, UM, YES, I'D LIKE VERY MUCH FOR YOU TO REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE SO WE CAN EXPAND ON WHAT EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK SHOULD HAPPEN THERE.
SOMETHING TELLS ME YOU HAVE IDEAS, SO
THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS LENA CARNAHAN AND I'M HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF THE REAL ESTATE COUNCIL OF AUSTIN AND ITS MEMBERSHIP.
OUR MEMBERS BUILD THE HOUSING THAT OUR CITY SO BADLY NEEDS, AND SO THEY HAVE THE BEST VANTAGE POINT TO SHARE WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED IN OUR REGULATIONS TO ALLOW FOR MORE HOUSING ON THE GROUND.
I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T START WITH A NOTE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ON TODAY'S LIST, IS ALWAYS TOP OF MIND FOR US.
IT IS THE QUICKEST AND EASIEST WAY TO REDUCE COST IS TO MAKE THAT PROCESS MORE EFFICIENT.
SOME OF THE EXISTING CODE CHANGES ON STAFF'S LIST WOULD HAVE A HUGE IMPACT FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP AND FOR PEOPLE RENTING AND BUYING IN AUSTIN.
COMPATIBILITY IS ONE OF, IF NOT THE MOST LIMITING REGULATION TO EFFECTIVE NEW DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTIN.
ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO LESSEN THE IMPACT OF COMPATIBILITY WILL GO A LONG WAY TO MAKING IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR HOUSING CAPACITY RATHER THAN TINKERING WITH THE COMPLEX OVERLAY THAT Y'ALL PASSED LAST YEAR, A CITYWIDE CHANGE TO THE REGULATION THAT REDUCES COMPATIBILITY TO A MORE REASONABLE DISTANCE WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE, CLEARER, AND EASIER TO ADMINISTRATE.
THE ELIMINATION OF PARKING MINIMUMS, AS OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED, IS A HIGH IMPACT CHANGE FOR RELATIVELY LOW EFFORT.
THIS WAS ALREADY CONSIDERED DURING CODE NEXT AND WILL NOT ONLY RIGHT SIZE PARKING FOR DEVELOPMENTS AND DECREASE PER UNIT COSTS, IT ALSO DECREASES REVIEW TIMES.
AND AS OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED, ETO ODS WILL BE A GAME CHANGER FOR THE AREAS AROUND OUR FUTURE LIGHT RAIL STATIONS AND THEY NEED TO BE HANDLED EFFECTIVELY DELAYING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ETTO ODS MEANS LOST OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE HOUSING AND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE TRANSIT FRIENDLY IN THE PLACES WE NEED IT THE MOST AND COULD JEOPARDIZE AUSTIN'S FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE PLAN.
OVERALL, ETO ODS NEED TO BE DONE EFFECTIVELY, BUT WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERY DAY WE DELAY MORE OPPORTUNITIES ARE LOST FOR THE CITY TO BUILD ONCE IN A LIFETIME IN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS AND HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS, PLANNING COMMISSIONS INITIATED TOWN ZONING ALSO HAS A LOT OF PROMISE FOR FLEXIBLE DEVELOPMENT AND THAT SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR STAFF.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE EXISTING ITEMS ON THE LIST, THERE ARE TWO OTHER ITEMS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION THAT WE FEEL WOULD GET MORE HOUSING ON THE GROUND.
THE FIRST IS A CITYWIDE DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM THAT'S CAREFULLY CALIBRATED ALL IN.
ONE WOULD BE EASIER FOR STAFF TO ADMINISTER, MORE PREDICTABLE FOR BUILDERS, AND IF DONE WELL BE MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY UTILIZED, WHICH IS A WIN-WIN WIN.
THE SECOND ITEM IS A RECONSIDERATION OF FLORIDA AREA RATIO.
F A R IS OFTEN A LIMITER IN DEVELOPMENT BEYOND HEIGHT AND IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMITATIONS, AND OFTEN SERVES TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS WITH NO CLEAR POLICY GOALS.
A RECONSIDERATION OF THAT IN DIFFERENT ZONES WOULD BE NO COST OF THE CITY AND MAKE THINGS A LOT SIMPLER.
ALL THESE ITEMS NEED TO GO THROUGH A CONSISTENT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND NOTIFICATION PROCESS THAT INVOLVES TESTING REAL PROJECTS WITH PRACTITIONERS.
THAT'S NOT ALWAYS CONSISTENTLY DONE AND IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY WELL-INTENTIONED ITEMS THAT COUNCIL AND STAFF HAVE CREATED, BUT IF THEY DON'T WORK ON THE GROUND, THEY WON'T GET US ANY CLOSER TO SOLVING OUR HOUSING CRISIS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
TAYLOR SMITH, FOLLOWED BY GREG ANDERSON.
I'M THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AT THE AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS AND ON BEHALF OF THE AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS, I WANT TO THANK ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE, UH, FOR NOT ONLY STARTING THE CONVERSATION TODAY, UH, WHICH IS MUCH NEEDED IN IN OUR OUR COMMUNITY, BUT TAKING THE LEADERSHIP, UM, TO LEAD US THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO OVERALL INCREASE OUR HOUSING SUPPLY.
UH, TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRIORITIZING HOUSING, I PROVIDED, UH, PROVIDED EACH OF YOU WITH A MARKET UPDATE,
[00:20:01]
ONE PAGER THAT PROVIDES A STATUS OF THE GREATER AUSTIN HOUSING MARKET USING, UH, DATA FROM DR.CLAIRE, UH, LOK, OUR ENABLER'S NEW HOUSING, UH, ECONOMIST AC.
LOWS, THE GREATER HOUSING AUSTIN MARKET CONTINUES TO MODERATE AND AMID HIGHER MORTGAGE RATES AND INFLATION, AND THERE ARE SIGNS OF THE MARKET BOUNCING BACK TO A MORE NORMAL HOUSING MARKET.
UH, HOWEVER, LONG-TERM AFFORDABILITY REMAINS A MAJOR HINDRANCE FOR THE AUSTIN HOUSING MARKET.
FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, THERE HAS BEEN A DECLINE IN PERMITS FOR SINGLE FAMILY, TWO TO FOUR UNITS AND MULTI-FAMILY, UH, HOMES ACROSS THE AUSTIN ROUND ROCK MSA, WHICH HAS EVEN GREATER POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR FUTURE HOUSING STOCK AND AFFORDABILITY.
AND THEN IN ADDITION, UH, FROM ABOS APRIL, UH, 2023 CENTRAL HOUSING MARKET REPORT.
I RE I CAN REPORT THAT LAST MONTH AUSTIN'S HOUSING INVENTORY FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN INCREASED TO 3.2 MONTHS OF HOUSING INVENTORY, WHICH IS FAR BELOW THE CITY, UH, B FAR BELOW THE TEXAS REAL ESTATE CENTERS BALANCE MARKET OF SIX MONTHS.
AND THE MEDIAN HOME PRICE DECREASED ABOUT 11 UH PERCENT TO 565,000 WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, ABOARD WE SUPPORT ANY CHANGES THAT ARE DESIGNED TO HELP INCREASE AUSTIN'S HOUSING STOCK AND REDUCE THE OVERALL HOUSING.
UM, IN AUSTIN, WHEN DEVELOPING YOUR YOUR LIST OF PRIORITIZATION, UH, WE ASK YOU TO CONSIDER PRIORITIZING ITEMS RELATED, RELATED TO ADUS COMPATIBILITY STANDARDS, LOT SIZE REQUIREMENTS, PARKING REQUIREMENTS, AND THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALSO PROVIDED TO YOU, UM, ON ONE OF THE HANDOUTS I PROVIDED EARLIER.
UH, WE ARE COMMITTED TO BEING A PARTNER, UH, WITH YOU THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND WE ARE HERE TO BE A RESOURCE, UM, WITH ANY DATA OR EXPERTISE THAT YOU NEED.
HEY, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY, STAFF.
SO GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING THIS TODAY.
WE HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS IN OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, AND I WANNA GO BACK IN TIME A LITTLE BIT.
WHEN ALL OF AUSTIN WAS COMING TOGETHER TO WORK ON IMAGINE AUSTIN, SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WERE A BIG PART OF THAT.
AND WE CAME UP WITH A REALLY GREAT VISIONARY PLAN FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT CALLED OUT A BIG NEED.
YOU NEED A NEW LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND SO I REMEMBER VERY CLEARLY BEING IN THIS BUILDING FROM 2012 TO 2015 WHEN A LOT OF COUNCIL MEMBERS DID A LOT OF GOOD WORK AND CAME UP WITH REALLY GOOD POLICY IDEAS.
AND WE'D GO TO STAFF AND WE'D SAY, HEY, WE WANNA BRING THIS FORWARD.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BROKEN IN OUR CODE, LET'S WORK ON THIS.
AND STAFF WOULD SAY, YOU'RE RIGHT, THIS IS BROKEN.
WE GOTTA FIX THIS, BUT LET'S FIX THIS IN THE NEW CODE.
AND SO WE AS A CITY GRABBED GREAT CONSULTANTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY.
WE PUT OUR BEST STAFF FROM THE CITY INTO THIS AMAZING PROCESS TO COME UP WITH THIS NEW LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND THEN WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
LOCAL CONTROL WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE DIDN'T GET A NEW LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND SO NOW HERE WE ARE IN 2020, WE'VE HAD 10 YEARS OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ON THIS TERRIBLE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE THAT WAS TERRIBLE 11 YEARS AGO.
AND NOW YOU ALL ARE LEFT WITH THIS PROBLEM OF TRYING TO SOLVE ALL THESE ISSUES AND CORRECTING THIS TERRIBLE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
AND SO THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA FACE NOW IS THE LITTLE CHANGES THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIAL IN A LOT OF WAYS.
THAT'S A SMALL LIST OF ACTUALLY WHAT NEEDS TO GET STARTED.
SO IF WE DON'T BEEF UP STAFF AND PAY THEM MORE AND GET A WHOLE LOT MORE ROLES OVER AT CITY STAFF SIDE TO GET THESE PROCESSES DONE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THIS AMAZING BOTTLENECK OF GREAT POLICY IDEAS INITIATED BY ALL THE DIFFERENT BODIES OF THE CITY THAT CAN INITIATE.
THEY'RE GONNA SIT THERE FOR SIX MONTHS, A YEAR, TWO YEARS, CUZ WE CAN'T GET THEM GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS FAST ENOUGH CUZ WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF TO DO SO.
SO IF WE CAN REALLY FOCUS ON THAT DURING THIS BUDGET CYCLE AND BEEF UP STAFF TO, TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, PULL ALL THOSE AMAZING PEOPLE BACK TOGETHER, MAYBE GET CONSULTANTS, DO WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO, BUT FIGURE OUT A WAY TO REALLY, IF WE HAVE TO KEEP THE TERRIBLE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO IT.
I HEARD SLUMS MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO, I WAS VICE CHAIR ON A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM IN SOUTH AUSTIN WITH A FLUG FROM 1998.
TELL ME WHAT'S FUTURISTIC ABOUT A FLUM FROM 1998.
GLAD WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THOSE.
COMPATIBILITY STILL KILLS MORE HOUSING THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THE BOOKS.
AND NOW WE HAVE 21 VERSIONS OF IT, OR MAYBE IT'S 19 VERSIONS OF IT.
I DON'T KNOW, IT'S STILL REALLY, REALLY BAD TOWN ZONING.
I'M GLAD TO HEAR STAFF'S EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS AS WELL.
OR A LOT OF FOLKS WHO WANT TO SEE BETTER ZONING CATEGORIES AND THEN PARKING MANDATES.
THANK YOU COUNSEL FOR INITIATING THAT.
IS THERE ANY REASON WHY THAT CODE CHANGE CAN'T HAPPEN IN THE NEXT MONTH OTHER THAN WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF TO DO IT? MAYBE NOT.
SO WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO AT A BEEF UP STAFF? AND LAST THING I'LL SAY, I MET WITH A CRP MAJOR THE OTHER DAY WHO GRADUATED TWO FRIDAYS AGO AND WAS CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO GO WORK FOR THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE, THE RUMOR OUT THERE OF HOW OVERWORKED STAFF IS RIGHT NOW.
LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF I WANNA TAKE THAT JOB.
AND SO WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT WAYS TO KIND OF, TO, TO KIND OF KILL THAT MINDSET.
[00:25:01]
R P GRADUATING RIGHT NOW.10 YEARS AGO THAT WAS THE HOTTEST JOB IN TOWN WORKING FOR STAFF AND NOW THERE'S THERE'S CONCERNS.
DAVID GLENN, FOLLOWED BY TWO NLO.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION AND OUR MEMBERS.
UH, I'LL KEEP THIS FAIRLY BRIEF SINCE WE, WE DO AGREE WITH MUCH OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID TODAY.
UH, WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROCESS.
MANY OF THE THINGS THAT ARE ON THIS LIST AND OTHERS THAT ARE NOT, UH, SITE PLAN, LIGHT, ADUS, LOT SIZE SETBACKS, ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA REALLY HELP BOLSTER THE CITY'S HOUSING SUPPLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET ENGAGED IN.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THIS DISCUSSION IS ESTABLISHING THAT FRAMEWORK.
UM, MR. ANDERSON JUST MENTIONED THAT THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT THINGS FLYING, GOOD IDEAS FALLING BETWEEN THE CRACKS.
I THINK SETTING UP A GOOD FRAMEWORK THAT IS PREDICTABLE AND ENGAGES, UH, THE EXPERTS, THE PRACTITIONERS, THE FOLKS ACTUALLY USING THE CODE IS GONNA MAKE A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE CITY AND STAFF TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY CAN TO BENCHMARK.
LOOK AT OTHER CITIES THAT ARE DOING IT WELL.
WE KNOW OF A HANDFUL OF CITIES THAT ARE PROCESSING MORE PERMITS WITH FEWER STAFF, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO, UM, TRY AND SEE, UH, TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING, FIND SOME GOOD EXAMPLES.
UH, BUT WE'RE OVERALL JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THIS COMMITTEE'S DOING.
WE THINK THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT IN A MUCH NEEDED CONVERSATION.
UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE A RESOURCE WHENEVER WE CAN, SO PLEASE KEEP US IN MIND.
I I DO ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION AND I'D LIKE FOR AGAIN TO, LET'S FOLLOW UP AFTERWARDS, BUT WHEN YOU SAY PROCESSING MORE PERMITS WITH FEWER STAFF MM-HMM.
AND THEN I GOT HERE AND I REALIZED, OH, SNAP, I WAS RIGHT.
AND SO I'D LIKE VERY MUCH FOR US TO, AS A BODY BE ABLE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO THOSE RESOURCES THAT TELL US HOW TO BE MORE EFFICIENT.
AND IF I COULD JUST ADD ONE LITTLE NOTE TO THAT, UM, PLEASE.
WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN TALKING TO SOME OF THE FOLKS ON THE STAFF LEVEL, CONNECTING THEM WITH THEIR PEERS IN OTHER CITIES TO TALK ABOUT THESE KIND OF THINGS.
AND SO WE HAVE COUNTERPARTS ALL OVER THE STATE OF TEXAS AND NATIONALLY AS WELL AND CAN, UM, REACH OUT AND BRIDGE THOSE, UM, BRIDGES GAPS.
AT THE RISK OF SHOWING MY AGE, I'M GONNA USE A CLICHE, IT TAKES A VILLAGE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD THAT OUR HOUSING VILLAGE IS MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER.
SO MY NAME IS TAU AND THANK YOU FOR NAILING MY NAME.
UM, I'M HERE ALSO AS A MEMBER OF THE, UM, GREATER AUSTIN HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION AND THE WOMEN IN BUILDING.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO PARROT OUR SUPPORT IN, UM, OUR SUPPORT.
SORRY FOR ANYTHING, ANY CHANGE THAT WILL HELP SIMPLIFY THE CODE AS WELL AS EXPEDITE THE PROCESS OF GETTING LAND ENTITLED.
AND YES, EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE CITY IS EXPENSIVE.
AUSTIN PER UNIT COSTS MORE, ALMOST DOUBLE WHAT THE STATE AVERAGE IS TO ENTITLE A LOT FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING.
UM, AS A PRODUCTION VOLUME BUILDER, WE KIND OF LIVE IN THE SUBURBS, BUT WE KNOW THAT CHANGES MADE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN COULD INFLUENCE OUR NEIGHBORS.
AND SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
UM, AND WE DO HOPE TO SEE AND ARE EXCITED TO SEE SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND ALLOWING US TO VOICE THAT SUPPORT.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I AM HERE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY AS A DEVELOPER.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE RISING CAP RATES.
WE HAVE RISING INTEREST RATES, AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE MARKET.
UH, FOR RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE DOWNTOWN.
WE ALREADY HAVE A SHORTAGE OF MARKET RATE RENTALS DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN IS MOST MOSTLY LUXURY PRODUCT.
UM, WE HAVE ONE AFFORDABLE PROJECT.
UM, DESIGN COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO BRING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE DENSITY BONUS.
UM, NOT ALL UNITS ARE BEING UTILIZED THAT ARE BEING DEPLOYED DOWNTOWN.
UM, THAT'S A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION.
UH, BUT AS FAR AS MARKET RATE SOLUTIONS THAT COULD WORK DOWNTOWN, UM, THERE ARE OTHER SOLUTIONS.
UM, CO-OPS CAN BE CO CO-OWNED AND CO-MANAGED BY
[00:30:01]
THE RESIDENTS.AND WE DON'T HAVE VERY MANY IN AUSTIN.
UM, THERE ARE EIGHT CO-OPS OUTSIDE OF WEST CAMPUS WITH ABOUT A THOUSAND RESIDENTS AND CO-OPS IN AUSTIN.
THE MINIMUM SIZE CAN BE AS LITTLE AS 20 UNITS TO AS LARGE AS 150 PER COMPLEX.
UH, THERE ARE FINANCING AND POLITICAL BARRIERS TO CO-OPS, UM, THAT SHOULD BE EXPLORED.
BUT OTHER CITIES HAVE DEPLOYED CO-OPS WITH PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE CITY LIKE OLDER, BERKELEY, MADISON, NEW YORK.
ADDITIONALLY, CO-LIVING OR MULTI-FAMILY FOR ROOMMATES COULD SOLVE OUR WORKFORCE HOUSING SOLUTION DOWNTOWN.
UM, PEOPLE GET MARRIED LATER, THEY SEE IN SCHOOL LONGER.
UM, AND TRADITIONAL HUD IS REALLY SET AROUND THE NUCLEAR FAMILY, WHICH IS WHAT ALL OF OUR HOUSING, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN AUSTIN IS, IS UNDERWRITTEN BY.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE OLDER BUILDING STOCK TO CONVERT FOR ROOMMATES LIKE WAREHOUSES IN NEW YORK THAT ARE CONVERTED FOR LOFTS.
UM, AND WE NEED NEW CONSTRUCTION TO SOLVE THIS HOUSING SOLUTION.
UH, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT DOWNTOWN.
UM, MY RESIDENTS AT CAPITAL QUARTERS, WHICH IS A BUILDING FOR ROOMMATES ARE TEACHERS AT UT.
THEY'RE FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS VISITING FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.
I HAVE ACROBATS NURSES, UX DESIGNERS, STARTING STAFF AS ANALYSTS, DOWNTOWN LOBBYISTS IN TOWN FOR SESSION.
UM, BUT THE BARRIER TO MAKING MORE PRODUCTS LIKE THIS IS, IT'S NOT AN ASSET CLASS THAT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE RECOGNIZES IT'S NOT STUDENT HOUSING AND IT'S NOT THE CHEAPEST DEBT INEQUITY FOR MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING.
SO, UM, I THINK WE NEED MORE DEBT INEQUITY PARTNERS IN THIS HOUSING TYPOLOGY.
UM, I MENTIONED THE MARKET, UH, RATE FOR THE COST OF FINANCING IS UP.
SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE LESS CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR WORKFORCE OR MARKET RATE HOUSING DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND SEATTLE, UH, THE I 1 35 SOCIAL HOUSING INITIATIVE HAS STARTED AND IT'S REALLY FOCUSED ON ZERO TO 120% AMI, UH, WHICH FOR SEATTLE IS $120,000 FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR.
UM, OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS AND, AND AUSTIN REALLY TOP OUT AT 80% AMI.
MS. WEAVER, PLEASE FINISH YOUR SENTENCE AND, AND DO ME A SOLID.
YES, WE'RE GONNA REALLY TRY TO, I'D LIKE VERY MUCH FOR US TO OPEN THE HOUSING CONVERSATION TO EVERYBODY.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY CAP.
SO IT'S, UM, FOR OUR SMART HOUSING, UH, OR A FOR DENSITY BONUS, 80% AMI IS THE TOP THAT YOU CAN BE MAKING TO BENEFIT FROM THAT PROGRAM.
AND THEN IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND FINISHING YOUR SENTENCE AND THANK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY.
SO THE REQUEST IS TO INITIATE PILOTS WITH THE CITY AS A PARTNER FOR CREATIVE SOCIAL LIVING SOLUTIONS THAT RESPOND TO MARKET NEEDS SUCH AS CO-OPS, CO-LIVING, OR COTTAGE COURTS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO MORE SPEAKERS.
MICHAEL NAYES, FOLLOWED BY DAVID CARROLL.
I'M VICE CHAIR OF THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION.
UH, I'M AN ECONOMIST WHO STUDIES HOUSING IN AUSTIN.
UM, THE RENT IS CURRENTLY $184 MORE THAN IN HOUSTON.
UH, LAND PRICE, THE CHEAPEST LAND ON ZILLOW IS THREE TIMES THE PRICE IN HOUSTON.
AND FIVE OUT OF SIX LOTS, UH, THAT ARE SF THREE CANNOT BE SPLIT.
UM, DURING THE BIG FREEZE, UH, WE RAN SHORT OF WATER AND H E B HAD WATER.
AND H E B WANTED TO NOT GET EXPLOITED BY RICH PEOPLE WHO WERE IN A PANIC.
THEY DIDN'T WANNA RAISE THE PRICE AND THEY DIDN'T WANT, UH, SOMEBODY TO BUY IT AT A CHEAP PRICE AT H E B AND THEN RESELL IT AND EXTORT PEOPLE.
UH, SO H E B WENT AND PUT A LIMIT ON THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF WATER ONE PERSON COULD BUY.
I BELIEVE IT WAS TWO CASES OF WATER, TWO CASES OF BOTTLED WATER.
SO THIS WAS A NECESSITY THAT EVERYBODY NEEDED AND THEY PUT A MAXIMUM LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT IN ANY TRANSACTION IN OUR LAND CODE.
WE HAVE LAND PEOPLE NEED LAND TO HAVE A HOUSE ON.
WE HAVE HIGH HOUSING PRICES, IT'S IN SHORTAGE.
AND ARE WE DOING WHAT H E B DID AND PUT A MAXIMUM AMOUNT ON A LAND TRANSACTION? NO, WE HAVE A MINIMUM.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE EXACT OPPOSITE,
[00:35:01]
UH, TO THE, TO A SOLUTION HERE.SO I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF A MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM, BUT WE SHOULD RAISE THOSE MINIMUMS DRAMATICALLY IN ORDER TO LOWER THE COST TO HOUSING.
GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TODAY.
I'M AN ARCHITECT WHO HAS LIVED IN DISTRICT ONE FOR THE LAST 16 YEARS, AND I HAVE BEEN DESIGNING AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME.
I'M ALSO STARTING MY NINTH YEAR ON DESIGN COMMISSION, WHICH MEANS THAT I HAVE REVIEWED NEARLY EVERY PROJECT IN THIS CITY THAT HAS GONE THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM.
I'M HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT THIS PROGRAM IS BROKEN.
THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM WAS CREATED IN PART TO HELP CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
BUT THIS PROGRAM HAS ONLY PRODUCED FOUR AFFORDABLE UNITS TO DATE OUTSIDE OF THE RAINY STREET SUBDISTRICT FOUR UNITS.
THIS REPRESENTS 0.1% OF ALL THE UNITS BUILT OVER THIS TIME IN DOWNTOWN.
RAINY HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PROGRAM, WHICH REQUIRES A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO BE BUILT ON SITE.
BUT EVEN THIS PROGRAM HAS ONLY PRODUCED 87 UNITS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, 87 UNITS.
FURTHER, SOME DEVELOPERS HAVE INFORMED ME THAT MANY OF THESE UNITS REMAIN EMPTY DUE TO UNQUALIFIED TENANTS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE 120% MFI CONDO UNITS AND THE INABILITY OF MARKET RATE DEVELOPERS TO OPERATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DUE TO THE DIFFERENT REGULATIONS FOR THESE.
SO WHY ISN'T MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEING BUILT INSTEAD OF PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING? NEARLY EVERY DEVELOPER HAS CHOSEN TO PAY A FEE IN LIEU TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND AS ALLOWED BY THE ORIGINAL ORDINANCE.
BUT THIS FUND, WHILE IT'S RECEIVED TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, NONE OF THIS MONEY HAS EVER BEEN USED TO BUILD ANY AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN AUSTIN.
ASIDE FROM THE COUNCIL DIRECTED HOTEL CONVERSION IN 2021, THIS MONEY HAS ONLY EVER BEEN USED FOR HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE A VERY IMPORTANT AND MUCH NEEDED PROGRAM, BUT DOES NOT HELP AUSTIN GET TO OUR ADOPTED GOAL IN THE STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT OF BUILDING 60,000 AFFORDABLE UNITS BY 2027.
AT OUR CURRENT RATE, WE'LL BE LUCKY TO BUILD 20,000 UNITS BY 2027.
THE WILL IS THERE, BUT THE MONEY IS NOT.
AS I ATTENDED THE LAST HOUSING INVESTMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, THEY INDICATED THAT THEY HAD ABOUT 85 MILLION TO AWARD FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
THE DEMAND FOR JUST THE FIRST QUARTER WAS ALMOST 85 MILLION.
SO MANY OF THESE PROJECTS ARE GONNA GO UNFUNDED THIS YEAR.
IN 2021, THE DESIGN COMMISSION WROTE SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP FIX THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, BUT NONE WERE EVER PICKED UP BY COUNSEL AT THE TIME.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AGAIN IF COUNSEL WOULD LIKE.
DID YOU SAY FOUR FOUR? I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HEARD YOU CORRECTLY.
FOUR YUNS, PLEASE REPEAT THAT ENTIRE SENTENCE.
SO, ONLY FOUR AFFORDABLE UNITS HAVE BEEN BUILT OUT WITH A DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM OUTSIDE OF THE RAINY STREET AREA IN DOWNTOWN OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
SO A TOTAL OF 91 UNITS DOWNTOWN HAVE BEEN BUILT IN 10 YEARS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH COLLEAGUES.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. CAROL? OKAY.
CLERK, DOES THAT CONCLUDE OUR SPEAKERS? OKAY.
SO MOVING FORWARD, UM, NOW THAT WE'VE CONCLUDED OUR SPEAKERS, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTRIBUTING TO THESE CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS.
SO ITEM NUMBER ONE IS OUR FIRST ITEM IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES
[1. Approve the minutes of the Housing and Planning Committee meetings held on March 2, 2023, and April 25, 2023.]
OF THE HOUSING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE, UH, OF MARCH 2ND, 2023 AND APRIL 25TH, 2023.IS THERE A MOTION TO PASS THE MINUTES? MOVE ADOPTION.
UM, LOOKS LIKE WE ARE MAKING A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER AL ALTER, RYAN AL ALTER, UM, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER QUADRI.
UM, IF THERE IS, SO MOVE BY, SECONDED BY.
SO ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
I'M NOW GONNA RECOMMEND THAT WE TAKE
[Items 2 (Part 1 of 2) & 4]
UP ITEMS TWO AND FOUR ON OUR AGENDA SO THAT WE CAN ALLOW FOR CITY STAFF TO PROVIDE THEIR BRIEFING AND ALSO ALLOW FOR OUR GUESTS TO BE IN ATTENDANCE FOR WHAT[00:40:01]
I EXPECT TO BE A ROBUST AND IMPORTANT CONVERSATION STAFF.VERONICA CEIO, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
AND I'M HERE TO KICK OFF OUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
WE'RE HAPPY TO BE HERE AFTER A LOT OF WORK ON, ON STAFF, UH, WITH STAFF.
AND I WENT TO START BY GIVING A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR STAFF.
AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE AUDIENCE, WE HAVE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED.
UH, WE'VE INITIATED THEM THROUGH OUR, OUR CODE CABINET AND WE HAVE REALLY RELIED ON THEM FOR GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF PRIORITIZING THE POTENTIAL, UH, CODE AMENDMENTS THAT WE HAVE.
SO, THANK YOU TO OUR STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK.
WHAT WE'RE GONNA PRESENT TO YOU TODAY IS A FRAMEWORK.
WE WANNA PRESENT A FRAMEWORK THAT TAKES ALL OF THE CODE AMENDMENTS WE HAVE, UH, ON OUR, IN OUR, IN THE PIKE, AND PRIORITIZE THEM BY CERTAIN AREAS.
WE, WE KNOW HOUSING AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING ARE KEY, UH, AREAS FOR OUR CITY.
SO WE'RE STARTING OFF BY PRIORITIZING WHAT WILL IMPACT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOUSING IN A POSITIVE WAY.
THEN YOU'LL SEE, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THE REMAINING CODE AMENDMENTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT ARE SOME, SOME EASIER ONES TO MOVE FORWARD.
WHAT ARE GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME.
BUT REALLY, I'VE TRIED TO DO A THOROUGH ANALYSIS AND A PROPOSAL TO YOU ON A WAY THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON MUCH NEEDED CODE AMENDMENTS, UH, AT A TIME WHERE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BALANCING THE BANDWIDTH OF STAFF, THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZING THE LIMITATIONS THAT WE HAVE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE, UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT PROCESS IS STEAM, UH, STREAMLINED.
I I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WHILE THIS IS OUR PROPOSAL AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSION AND THE FEEDBACK FROM YOU, CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING IN THE DIRECTION THAT IS YOUR DESIRE.
UM, BUT AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT AT THE, AS A LEGISLATURE WRAPS UP, WE ARE VERY AWARE THAT THERE COULD BE BILLS THAT ARE PASSED THAT COULD IMPACT OUR PROCESS, WHICH MEANS THAT WE COULD HAVE TO PRIORITIZE MAKING CHANGES BASED ON THOSE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE COGNIZANT OF THAT AS WELL.
I WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT SAY.
SO ITEMS TWO AND FOUR, UM, JUST FOR CONTEXT SO EVERYBODY KNOWS WE'RE ALL FOLLOWING ALONG THE SAME CONVERSATION.
UM, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL RELATED TO PRIORITIZING AND MODIFYING PREVIOUSLY INITIATED AMENDMENTS AND INITIATING ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY'S L D C TO ACHIEVE EXISTING CITY POLICY GOALS.
THEN ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH I THINK WE'LL HEAR ABOUT AS WELL, UM, BRIEFING FROM STAFF RELATED TO PRIORITIZATION PREVIOUSLY INITIATED, UM, AMENDMENTS TO THIS CITY'S L D C AND PROPOSALS FOR ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS THAT ACHIEVE CITY POLICY AND GOALS.
AND YOU KNOW, NOW THAT YOU'VE APPROACHED, I WON'T SAY S STAFF AS APPROACHES
UM, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT FOR THE COMMITTEE AND FOR THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS BRIEFING.
SO TODAY'S BRIEFING, UM, THAT OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER IS OFFERING US, UM, IT'S ABOUT COM COMMIT.
IT'S ABOUT OUR COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION AND THE CRUCIAL STEPS THAT OUR COUNCIL CAN TAKE TO HELP PROVIDE CLARITY AND DIRECTION FOR CITY STAFF.
AS WE HAVE HEARD BY WAY OF ALL THE FOLKS, WHICH BY THE WAY, THANK Y'ALL FOR COMING AND TESTIFYING.
I REALLY APPRECIATE LOOKING OUT IN THIS AUDIENCE AND COUNCIL CHAMBERS AND HAVING FOLKS THAT ARE ACTIVELY REALLY ADDRESSING OUR HOUSING CRISIS, WHO RECOGNIZE THAT IT EXISTS AND WHO ARE TRYING TO HELP US FIX IT.
THAT SAID, UM, TODAY'S BRIEFING AND OUR COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION ARE CRUCIAL STEPS THAT OUR COUNCIL CAN TAKE TO HELP PROVIDE CLARITY AND DIRECTION FOR CITY STAFF.
UM, AS WE HEARD AT ONE OF OUR MOST RECENT MEETINGS, STAFF IS EXPERIENCING THE PERFECT STORM STAFFING VACANCIES, WHICH SOME OF OUR SPEAKERS SPOKE TO TODAY.
THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW IT DIRECTLY AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY TO PRODUCE HOUSING THAT'S CRITICAL, OFTEN CONFLICTING FROM PREVIOUS COUNCILS AND LIMITED TIME AND RESOURCES TO ENACT THE MANY POLICIES THAT WE OR THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAVE INITIATED.
BY ASKING FOR PRIORITIZATION AND WEIGHING IN AS A COMMITTEE AND A FULL COUNCIL, WE WILL ENSURE THAT OUR LIMITED TIME AND RESOURCES ARE BEING SPENT ON POLICY THAT WILL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON OUR SHARED COMMUNITY GOALS.
WE TALKED ABOUT BEING A PRO-HOUSING VILLAGE, AND I NEED FOR ALL OF US TO OWN THAT, WHICH IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
SO TODAY'S BRIEFING, WHICH ALREADY GOT STARTED AND I INTERRUPTED MY APOLOGIES, WILL INCLUDE STAFF WALKING THROUGH OUR EXISTING HOUSING POLICY AMENDMENTS, THEIR STATUS SUGGESTED PRIORITIZATION BASED ON NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING THESE AMENDMENTS AND STAFF'S MEMO OUTLINING PRIORITIZATION.
THEY WERE POSTED AS BACKUP, UM, FOR THIS MEETING TO OUR COMMITTEE AGENDA AND SHARED WITH THE FULL COUNT, UH, THE FULL COUNSEL.
[00:45:01]
FOR CONTEXT, THE HOUSING AND PLANNING COMMITTEE VOTED IN APRIL FOR STAFF TO PROVIDE THIS BRIEFING AND SUGGESTED PRIORITIZATION AT TODAY'S MEETING, UM, THAT WE COULD, SO THAT RATHER WE COULD RECOMMEND ANY CHANGES OR NEW AMENDMENTS FOR THE FULL COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION.I EXPECT AND ENCOURAGE ROBUST CONVERSATION FROM BOTH OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND VISITING NON COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US COUNCIL MEMBER POOL AND IN FACT, I I THANK YOU FOR IT.
I THINK THAT'S A PART OF HOW WE GET MOVING FORWARD.
WE ALL HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE AND WILLING TO HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS IN PUBLIC WITHOUT QUORUM CONSTRAINTS, OUR COLLECTIVE IDEAS, ENVISION FOR HOW WE CAN AND RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE BOLD ACTION, PERIOD.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SPOTLIGHT YOUR WORK AND IDENTIFY HOW IT FITS WITHIN STAFF'S PROPOSED PRIORITIZATION AND THE BROADER CONTEXT OF HOW WE CAN PRODUCE HOUSING FOR ALL PEOPLE IN ALL PARTS OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.
I FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE ASKING THIS COMMITTEE TO TAKE A BIG FIRST STEP.
WELCOME TO THE PARTY NOW, BUT THIS IS NOT A THREAT.
THIS IS US GETTING TO MOVE FORWARD AS A BODY, AS A PEOPLE, AND AS A COMMUNITY.
WE CAN MAKE INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL COUNCIL AND WE CAN STILL COME BACK TO OUR NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING ON JUNE 13TH AND KEEP THIS CONVERSATION GOING, ESPECIALLY BY BRINGING FORWARD SOME OF THE BIG IDEAS AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WILL HEAR.
AND FRANKLY, BY THE END OF IT, WE'LL HAVE HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC.
SO COLLEAGUES, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND IDENTIFY ANY OF THE MISSING PIECES.
SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INTERRUPTION
I THINK I MISSED IT UP TOO BY GETTING EXCITED ABOUT APPROACHING THE PODIUM.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY.
UH, AND I WAS, I WAS, UH, WRAPPING UP, I WAS GOING TO MENTION OUR STAFF VACANCIES.
THAT IS VERY MUCH A PRIORITY FOR US AS A CITY.
UH, WE ARE WORKING ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT PARTICULARLY IN THESE AREAS AND THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, MOST OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS ARE WITHIN MY PURVIEW AND WE'RE WORKING TO BE, UH, SYSTEMATIC AND STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW WE'RE FILLING THOSE VACANCIES AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE'RE APPROACHING IT FROM A PORTFOLIO PERSPECTIVE, UH, KNOWING THAT THESE DEPARTMENTS WORK SO CLOSELY TOGETHER AND HAND IN HAND IN THE PROCESS.
CAN I, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION BY SHARE? I DO REAL QUICK JUST ON THAT, AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO SOME OF THE DETAILS HERE, BUT I THINK A COUPLE THINGS KIND OF AS A LEVEL SETTING GOING INTO WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT, ESPECIALLY ON THE RESOURCES QUESTION FIRST.
I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL AS YOU TALK ABOUT THIS TO GIVE US A BETTER SENSE OF, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ASK YOU FOR A SPECIFIC ITEM, WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF WHAT STAFF NEEDS TO DO? YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE THIS SHOULD BE SO BASIC, RIGHT? I COULD GO ON MY COMPUTER AND SCRATCH THAT WORD OUT AND AND DO THAT IN 10 MINUTES.
WHY IS IT TAKING YOU FIVE MONTHS? AND SO IF YOU COULD HELP US UNDERSTAND THE FULL PROCESS, I THINK THAT IS HELPFUL IN GUIDING WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
BUT ALSO AS WE LOOK AT STAFF RESOURCES, THERE ARE SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT ARE, I THINK, UH, MORE COMPLEX AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE THAT WE PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE, UH, A MULTITUDE OF OUR STAFF WORKING ON.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT ARE KIND OF ONE-OFFS OR ISOLATED.
AND THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE CAN FARM THOSE OUT TO SOMEBODY ELSE ON A CONTRACT BASIS OR SOMETHING JUST TO LET OUR STAFF WORK ON THE REAL COMPLEX MEATY STUFF.
OR IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS COMPLEX, BUT THAT WE CAN KIND OF DRAW A CIRCLE AROUND AND, AND GIVE IT TO, UH, A THIRD PARTY TO HELP US AT LEAST DO THE DRAFT AND THEN GET IT BACK TO US.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US EXPLORE THAT AS A POSSIBILITY.
UH, BUT AS WE TALK ABOUT THIS, IDENTIFY POTENTIAL OPTIONS WHERE THAT MIGHT BE A ROUTE.
I I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO GET INTO YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, WE'RE GONNA HOLD OUR QUESTIONS TO THE END AND THAT WAS A LOT
SO WE CAN ADD THAT TO FUTURE ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION OR THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHE CAN RESPOND TO IN AN EMAIL TO THE ENTIRE BODY.
AND I WOULD JUST CLOSE IT OUT BY SAYING WE ARE LOOKING AT ALL CREATIVE APPROACHES, SO WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION.
WE'RE, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE ROBUST CONVERSATION TODAY AND WE WILL, UH, CERTAINLY KEEP ALL OPTIONS IN MIND
[00:50:01]
AND, AND TRY THINKING ABOUT THINGS CREATIVELY.AND WITH THAT, THANK I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO BRENT LLOYD WHO'S GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH THE P UH, PRESENTATION FROM OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
SO THANK YOU ACM BRIO AND MAYOR PROTE AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
WE APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEF YOU ON THE TOPIC OF LDC AMENDMENTS.
WE KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO COUNCIL AND TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE'RE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO TODAY'S DISCUSSION.
UM, I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF THE CODE CABINET TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE MEMO AND THE SPREADSHEET THAT ARE POSTED IN BACKUP.
UM, I'LL SUMMARIZE AND EXPAND ON THE HIERARCHY OF PRIORITIZATIONS AMONG THE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN INITIATED, AS WELL AS SOME BIG PICTURE THEMES THAT AFFECT THE TIMETABLE FOR TAKING AMENDMENTS, UH, THROUGH THE PROCESS AND GETTING THEM ON COUNCIL'S AGENDA.
UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, THE CODE CABINET IS AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL TEAM OF STAFF FROM THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE THE MOST DAY-TO-DAY INVOLVEMENT IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UM, AND I ENCOURAGE, UM, OTHER CABINET MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE TO CHIME IN, UH, IF THERE ARE TOPICS WE TOUCH ON THAT THEY HAVE RELEVANT INFORMATION ON.
UM, AND FINALLY, ALTHOUGH NOT INCLUDED IN THE MEMO, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME GENERAL O UH, GENERAL OVERVIEW OF IDEAS, UM, FOR POTENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM STAFF FOR ITEMS GOING FORWARD AS WELL THAT ARE NOT, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY INITIATED.
SO THE MEMO IS ORGANIZED, UH, BASED ON HOW CLOSELY AMENDMENTS RELATE TO COUNCIL'S HOUSING GOALS AND HOW STRAIGHTFORWARD THEY ARE LIKELY IN TERMS OF, IN HOW STRAIGHTFORWARD THEY ARE IN TERMS OF BEING ADOPTED IN THE NEAR TERM.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THESE DETERMINATIONS, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS, UM, OUR, IN SOME INSTANCES PRELIMINARY, UH, STAFF'S PROPOSALS ON AS STAFF'S PROPOSALS ON AMENDMENTS TAKE SHAPE.
WE RECEIVE ADVICE FROM THE LAW DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE CABINET PROCESS, UM, AS WELL.
AND WE IDENTIFY ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGES THAT AMENDMENTS PRESENT.
SO THERE ARE TIMES WHERE AN AMENDMENT THAT APPEARS SIMPLE AT FIRST BLUSH HAS CHALLENGES EITHER IN GETTING IT TO COUNCIL OR IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION THAT ARE LATER IDENTIFIED.
THAT SAID, UH, WE BELIEVE THAT OUR MEMO AND THE TABLES THAT WE'VE PROVIDED YOU, UM, PROVIDE A USEFUL STARTING POINT FOR CATEGORIZING THE DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN INITIATED.
UH, SO I'M GONNA BEGIN THE, IN THE WEEDS PART OF OUR BRIEFING, UH, BY TALKING ABOUT AMENDMENTS THAT ARE IN PART ONE A OF THE MEMO, UM, WHICH WE DEEM TO BE BOTH DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR HOUSING GOALS AND ALSO THE MOST LIKELY TO BE STRAIGHTFORWARD IN TERMS OF GETTING THEM TO YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE OF THE AMENDMENTS IN THE QUEUE.
THESE ARE THE ONES, UH, THAT STAFF WOULD LIKE TO PRIORITIZE AND PLACE THE MOST EMPHASIS ON.
WE BELIEVE THAT THESE ARE ONES THAT ARE REASONABLY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND THAT WILL DELIVER, UH, SOME DEGREE OF IMMEDIATE IMPACT IN TERMS OF MAKING HOUSING EASIER.
UM, I WILL EMPHASIZE TOO THAT DSD, UH, IS CURRENTLY LEAD ON AND WORKING ON, AND ONE IS, UH, THE INFILL LOTS.
THIS IS AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD UTILIZE A PROVISION OF STATE LAW THAT LETS CITIES ALLOW USE OF THE AMENDED PLAT PROCESS, UH, FOR ACTUALLY CREATING NEW LOTS.
UH, GIVEN THE TIME AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBDIVISION, UH, THIS AMENDMENT COULD MAKE CREATION OF RESIDENTIAL LOTS A LOT EASIER.
ONE OF THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES OF THIS AMENDMENT IS IDENTIFYING CONTEXTS WHERE IT'S MOST APPROPRIATE TO ALLOW THE PROCESS, UM, BY BYPASSING SUBDIVISION.
UH, IT LIMITS THE CITY'S ABILITY TO REVIEW AND APPLY A HOST OF REGULATIONS.
SO WHILE USING A CITYWIDE LENS, STAFF WILL FOCUS ON AREAS WHERE INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER FACTORS CAN BEST ACCOMMODATE ADDITIONAL LOTS WITHOUT SUBDIVISION REVIEW.
UM, THIS PROVISION ON THE AMENDMENT ON SUBSTANDARD LOTS IS ONE, UH, WHERE WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT PER COUNCIL'S DIRECTION.
UM, LEGALLY PLATTED LOTS THAT DON'T MEET CURRENT MINIMUM LOT AREA STANDARDS OR DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS.
UM, MANY YEARS AGO A PRIOR COUNCIL ADOPTED AMENDMENTS THAT MADE IT DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP THOSE LOTS INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER ONCE, UH, A STRUCTURE HAD BEEN BUILT OVER LOT LINES.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT CHANGING THE CRITERIA TO ALLOW THOSE LOTS TO DEVELOP INDEPENDENTLY.
UM, STAFF WILL ALSO PRIORITIZE HOUSING AMENDMENTS THAT ARE IN THE MORE COMPLEX TIER, BUT THESE, UH, PRESENT ISSUES THAT MAY REQUIRE MORE TIME AND MORE REVIEW.
AND ONE OF THEM I WANT TO TOUCH ON IS SITE PLAN LIGHT, WHICH
[00:55:01]
WAS MENTIONED IN THE TESTIMONY.WE, UH, THERE ARE REALLY TWO COMPONENTS TO THAT AND, AND THIS AMENDMENT HAS, HAS ITS GENESIS IN THE ORIGINAL INITIATION OF AFFORDABILITY UNLOCKED, WHICH CALLED FOR A REVISED SITE PLAN PROCESS THAT WAS THEN FOLDED INTO THE LDC REVISION.
UM, AND IN, AND SINCE THAT'S NO LONGER ACTIVE, WE ARE BRINGING IT FORWARD AS AN INDEPENDENT SET OF AMENDMENTS TO CURRENT CODE.
AND PER COUNCIL'S MOST RECENT RESOLUTION FROM LAST YEAR, THERE ARE REALLY TWO COMPONENTS AND ONE IS SIMPLY TO ALLOW UP TO FOUR UNITS TO BE BUILT USING THE STANDARD BUILDING PLAN REVIEW PROCESS THAT APPLIES TO A SINGLE FAMILY HOME.
UM, AND THAT'S A STRAIGHTFORWARD AMENDMENT THAT WE ANTICIPATE HAVING ON COUNCIL'S AGENDA BY JULY AT THE JULY 20TH MEETING.
THE SECOND COMPONENT, HOWEVER, IS MORE CHALLENGING.
IT IS BASICALLY TO CREATE A MODIFIED SITE PLAN PROCESS FOR A HOUSING TYPE THAT'S INCREASINGLY REFERRED TO AS MISSING MIDDLE BETWEEN FIVE AND 16 UNITS.
UM, AND THIS IS A HOUSING TYPE THAT AFFORDABILITY UNLOCKED IS FACILITATES AND IT'S ONE THAT I KNOW COUNCIL IS INTERESTED IN POTENTIALLY IN OTHER CONTEXTS AS WELL.
AND YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGE WITH THIS AMENDMENT, UM, I THINK THE SPEAKER WHO SAID THAT IT WOULD MAKE THINGS EASIER, I THINK THERE'S SOME MERIT TO THAT, BUT IT INVOLVES CREATING A, A SET OF TAILORED REGULATIONS THAT DON'T CURRENTLY EXIST.
WE HAVE RIGHT NOW A SYSTEM THAT IS SORT OF MODELED ON BUILDING PERMIT FOR SINGLE FAMILY OR, OR ONE AND TWO FAMILY RESIDENTIAL FULL SITE PLAN ON THE OTHER END OF THE CONTINUUM.
AND THEN THERE'S SITE PLAN EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE KIND OF CLOSER TO THE BUILDING PLAN SIDE.
UM, BUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS REALLY CREATING A NEW TIER, A NEW TIER OF REGULATIONS THAT WOULD ACCOMMODATE THE GREATER IMPACTS OF MISSING MIDDLE, BUT NOT REQUIRE THE FULL LEVEL OF WATER QUALITY AND DRAINAGE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR SITE PLAN.
AND SO THAT IS, THAT IS CHALLENGING AND THAT WILL HAVE ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACTS.
OUR WORK GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE DEPARTMENTS ARE ORGANIZED ACCORDING TO SITE PLAN, SITE PLAN EXEMPTION, BUILDING PERMIT, AND THIS WILL BE CREATING KIND OF A NEW TIER.