The City of Austin will post the final executed version of these items on this page ahead of the implementation dates, but the below should serve as a general outline of the final passed versions of each item.
Compatibility
These compatibility ordinance changes will significantly reduce citywide compatibility standards and limit where they apply. Details
Compatibility restrictions will end 75’ from a single-family home, down from 540’
Compatibility will only be applied to properties zoned MF-4 and above
More height and flexibility within the 75’ compatibility area:
40’ of height within 25 to 50’ of a triggering property
60’ of height within 50’ – 75’ feet of a triggering property
Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Overlay
Two items related to the light rail corridor passed on May 17th: an overlay that limited auto-oriented uses, and a combining district density bonus program. Details on the associated zoning and map changes are in the next section.
These overlays were applied to the area along Phase I of the Project Connect light rail and priority extensions, with the exception of the portion of the rail line on Riverside Drive. The East Riverside Corridor overlay will be voted on separately at the end of the year.
Details
The 2 subdistricts of the combining district allow:
An additional 60 feet of height, up to a maximum of 120 feet, ¼ mile away from the light rail corridor
An additional 30 feet of height, up to a maximum of 90 feet, ½ mile from the light rail corridor
The affordability requirements for multifamily projects are tiered to match existing density bonus programs:
For projects up to 60 feet, 10% of total units affordable at 60% MFI
For projects up to 90ft, 12% of total units affordable at 60% MFI OR 10% at 50% MFI
For projects up to 120ft, 15% of total units affordable at 60% MFI OR 12% at 50% MFI
Additional site development standards to reflect those permitted within existing density bonus programs, like VMU and DB90, were applied
This item is an ordinance rezoning properties and changing the zoning map to add the equitable transit-oriented development overlay and the density bonus combining district (outlined above) to the base zoning district for properties within ½ mile of the Phase I of the Project Connect light rail and priority extensions. Code Language
Residential and Commercial Redevelopment Requirements
Code language in Chapter 4-18 of City Code related to redevelopment requirements for density bonus and incentive programs was amended. These requirements will, for now, only apply to the ETOD combining district. The intent of this item is to raise the bar for redevelopment of existing low-rent multifamily units and important cultural assets and to allow certain tenants the right of first refusal.
This item takes effect on August 16, except for properties in the Wildland-Urban Interface area or in census tracts identified as gentrifying, which have a 6-month implementation date.
EV Charging Use
This item permits electric vehicle charging stations as a use in City Code.
