Found 17 blog entries tagged as zoning.

Austin Business Journal writes, "It will take time and it won't help everywhere, but a new zoning designation should boost the supply of housing in Austin.

That's the view of a number of developers when it comes to the so-called Density Bonus 90, or DB90, zoning program approved by the City Council in February. Residential buildings on properties with the new zoning can be up to 90 feet high — 30 feet higher than otherwise allowed — and have ground floor commercial uses, provided certain percentages of the residential units are priced at levels deemed affordable.

“It's unlocking additional properties that couldn't previously achieve the necessary density,” said Chris Affinito a managing partner at Notional Development Partners, a firm that…

56 Views, 0 Comments

315 Congress Ave., which could be rezoned to allow for a taller building. DAVE CREANEY

Austin Business Journal shares, "A new tower could be on tap for South Congress Avenue if a zoning change is approved Sept. 26 by the City Council. 

The tower — on a roughly 1-acre tract at 311-315 S. Congress Ave., which is just south of the old Austin American-Statesman building — would contain 488 residential units, 30,000 square feet of office space and 7,500 square feet for "ground floor pedestrian-oriented uses," according to city documents. 

The location is not within the planned unit development for the former Statesman site that is the subject of a lawsuit, although it is nearby.

The potential new zoning on the tract would allow for construction of a building up to 480 feet tall, or almost 50 stories. Currently, the site is the…

93 Views, 0 Comments

Texas needs hundreds of thousands more homes to meet demand, research shows. Shortages are particularly severe in low- and middle-income housing. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)

Community Impact reports, "Texas’ population growth has outpaced homebuilding since 2020, according to the state comptroller’s office, resulting in a widespread housing shortage. Up For Growth, a national housing policy organization, reported that Texas needs about 306,000 more homes to meet demand.

High home prices, steep mortgage rates and limited supply are driving some potential homebuyers out of the market, said Clare Knapp, a housing economist for the Austin Board of Realtors. Texas also had the sixth-highest property tax rate—1.68%—in 2021, according to research from the Tax Foundation.

Home prices shot up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Knapp added, as remote work policies allowed more people to move to Texas.

In 2019, the median home…

67 Views, 0 Comments

A backyard home, or accessory dwelling unit, designed by Propel Studio. ADUs are also often called granny flats. CARLOS CAMARENA

Austin Business Journal writes, "The new resolution, passed at the May 30 City Council meeting, tasks the city manager with identifying ways to improve access to the HOME program for low- and moderate-income households and expanding educational resources and technical help to households at risk of displacement due to gentrification. East Austin, where racial minorities were pushed about 100 years ago and gentrification concerns are top of mind, is likely to be a focus — though residents across the region have felt the effects of rising property values and urbanization.

Low-income households are those that earn 80% or less of the median family income, according to the Austin Housing Department. As of June 2023, 80% MFI for a three-person household…

151 Views, 0 Comments

An Austin real estate investor has a plan to redevelop Barton Springs Apartments. The project would more than triple the total number of residences on the existing site. CITY OF AUSTIN

Austin Business Journal reports, "A plan to demolish a 40-unit apartment complex near Barton Springs Road to make way for a bigger one is set to be considered by City Council later this month.

The project at 1725 Toomey Road — on a less-than 1-acre tract sandwiched between Butler Shores and the original Chuy’s restaurant — would replace the existing Barton Springs Apartments with a new building containing more than 203 units.

Property owner Greg Smith of First Austin Properties is seeking a zoning change for the location to remove a conditional overlay that restricts building height to under 75 feet. Aside from the conditional overlay, the property has the city's highest-density multifamily zoning.

The exact height and other details of the…

120 Views, 0 Comments

Austin's light rail system is planned to include a station at 3rd and Congress Avenue. AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP

Austin Business Journal writes, "The second phase of Austin’s HOME Initiative and other wide-reaching land use changes are set to be considered at City Hall in the coming weeks. The goal: To hack away at Austin's housing affordability problem and prepare the city for its planned light rail system.

Bigger development will be needed along the 10-mile light rail route — especially at train stops. The project, on track to cost about $4.8 billion in current years’ dollars and begin construction in 2027, will be supported through federal transit funding if the city can prove that its land-use regulations will support the new transit network.

If approved, the new policies will usher in a wave of opportunities for developers and existing homeowners.

131 Views, 0 Comments

Developer Mark IV has made updates to the long-anticipated The District project in Round Rock amid changes to the market. SCREENSHOT OF CITY OF ROUND ROCK DOCUMENTS

Austin Business Journal reports, "one of the region's most-anticipated projects is back on track — and much bigger than previously planned.

Eight years ago, Mark IV Capital, a Newport Beach, California-based commercial real estate firm, purchased a 66-acre plot near Interstate 35 and the State Highway 45 toll road for a project known as The District. But the plans subsequently stalled, mostly due to shifting market conditions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Since then, the size of the project has more than doubled. The District is planned as a $500 million investment that will result in 3 million square feet of development and a minimum of 5,000 jobs at full buildout in 2039. Original plans called for 1 million square feet by 2039 and a…

169 Views, 0 Comments

Austin's new HOME Initiative allows the construction of up to three dwellings on single-family lots, similar to what's pictured above. PORTLAND PRESS HERALD

Austin Business Journal reports, "developers and homebuilders hoping to take advantage of a new program that will allow up to three residential units to be built on a lot currently zoned for one are about to get their chance.

That's because the HOME Initiative goes into effect Feb. 5, and those who are interested can start applying at that time.

Applications must be submitted through Austin's residential plan review process, according to a new city information hub devoted to the HOME Initiative, which stands for Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment.

The initiative allows the construction of up to three dwellings on lots currently zoned SF-1, SF-2 and SF-3. Most single-family homes in Austin fall into one of those zoning categories.

161 Views, 0 Comments

This 100-plus acre field in Pflugerville's outskirts could soon be sprawling warehouse property. GOOGLE MAPS

Austin Business Journal reports, "Endeavor Real Estate Group plans to transform a large swath of land outside Austin into an industrial development.

The project is set to rise on more than 100 acres off State Highway 130 and Pecan Street in Pflugerville, according to several construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The number of buildings planned on the site and the total square footage of the project are unknown, but the filings indicate at least four buildings will be built, ranging from 132,214 to 186,415 square feet each. The buildings will be speculative warehouses, according to TDLR.

Endeavor did not provide comment on the project. It should be noted that information found on TDLR filings are preliminary…

189 Views, 0 Comments

Austin Business Journal reports, "a pilot program intended to improve Austin's rezoning process is set to be considered by City Council.

The six-month pilot program would extend deadlines for zoning and rezoning applications in addition to neighborhood plan applications with the intention of giving developers and landowners more time to refine their requests and avoid potentially missing a deadline that would require them to start the process from the beginning.

For example, land use cases will be extended from a 60-day consideration period to 120 days while whole neighborhood plan amendments will increase from 90 days to 120.

Jordan Feldman, a principal planner with the city, said the proposed changes would decrease the need for staff…

187 Views, 0 Comments