Hannah Garcia: Urban Land Institute (ULI) Austin October 2022 Breakfast

On Wednesday morning, Urban Land Institute (ULI) Austin hosted a breakfast featuring a panel of representatives from the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department and Housing Works. 

Representing the City of Austin Housing and Planning was Director Rosie Truelove, and Development Officer Erica Leak, City of Austin Housing and Planning Officer. The panel also featured John Michael Cortez, Government and Community Affairs Director at Google Fiber.

Cortez, a former Senior Advisor to Austin Mayor Steve Adler, spoke on the importance of updating the Land Development Code.

The current Code was written in 1984 and does not facilitate the development the city needs. 

Attempts at rewriting the Code were made in 2018, 2019 and 2020, all failing, with the 2020 version resulting in a lawsuit related to protest property owners rights. 

Currently, city staff is working to update the Code through amendments including allowing residential units to be built in commercial zones and allowing for more height in developments that include affordable housing. 

Still, work to equitably plan and increase the amount of affordable housing has not stopped. City staff have been held accountable in their efforts with the Strategic Housing Blueprint Scorecard, which measures progress toward goals set by the Strategic Housing Blueprint, approved by council in 2017. 

The 2021 scorecard shows that while Austin is on track to meet goals related to preserving and locating affordable housing near corridors, the city has struggled to meet its goals to build housing for households earning 30% - 80% MFI. Each council district is also lagging behind in its individual goals for affordable housing. 

The panelists noted the importance of funding to continue meeting the blueprints goals. Cortez spoke on how funding is necessary to maintain the momentum the city has. The market will not create affordable housing naturally. Without funding, from bond programs like proposition A, the city will not meet its affordable housing goals. 

All in all, the ULI Panel on housing made one thing glaringly clear: The city will not have affordable housing without sustained action from the city and stakeholders. Through creative solutions like public private partnerships (P3), the city can work to preserve and create affordable housing in the city. Recently approved projects, like the Aspen Heights redevelopment are perfect examples of P3s in action. The Development will include 232 units restricted for Austinites earning 50-60% MFI. Innovative solutions like this will allow for Austin to remain affordable for all. 

For more information, email Hannah at: hannah@binghamgp.com