Government
BY ELLE BENT, KATY MCAFEE & BEN THOMPSON
Development code changes near finish line A slate of land development code amendments including “HOME” Phase 2 are nearing approval. What’s happening Code changes are being considered in response to city officials’ stated desire to promote acces- sible housing options and make Austin more transit-friendly: • Cutting residential minimum lot sizes to 2,000 square feet, following on a 2023 change allow- ing more residential housing per lot • Reducing the reach of compatibility, which limits new building size near existing homes • Creating new zoning overlays along the future Project Connect rail line to encourage denser development and housing near transit Council is scheduled to vote on the items on May 16 at City Hall.
TravCo OKs tax cuts for child care centers Qualified child care centers in Travis County can now apply for a 100% property tax exemption this tax year. The context County officials hope to lower expenses for both child care facilities and families. The new policy follows the passage of Proposition 2 in November, allowing local tax breaks for child care centers. The move also comes as the federal relief funding given to child care centers during the pandemic is expected to expire by the end of this year, according to a news release. “This action supports safer, more stable and more resilient families by expanding access to high-quality, affordable child care,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said.
HOME Phase 2 would reduce the amount of land needed to build one unit of housing in Austin’s most common single-family areas. Last year’s Phase 1 allowed for more units on a single lot. SF-1: Single-family residence large lot; low density for homes SF-3: Family residence; moderate density for homes or duplexes SF-2: Single-family residence standard lot; moderate density for homes
Lot size for one residential unit
Current
SF-1: 10,000 square feet minimum SF-2 and -3: 5,750 square feet minimum
Proposed
SF-1, -2 and -3: 2,000 square feet minimum
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Third-party oversight of APD training reforms ends Continuing reforms at the Austin Police Depart- ment’s cadet academy will be left up to police leadership, after the APD was reportedly slow to adopt or resisted such changes during extended third-party supervision. The specifics
Academy outcomes Graduated/currently enrolled Quit, failed testing or kicked out
13
66
look at plans to maintain recent reforms. Kroll described APD’s response to its proposals as bumpy since city officials moved to “reimagine” public safety and paused cadet training in 2020. Heightened scrutiny of the academy coincided with the police department's focus on boosting recruitment. The APD remains short hundreds of budgeted officer positions, but has more than 100 candidates for its next cadet class this summer.
22
10 39
9 25
15 19
33
May 2023
Sept. 2023
Jan. 2024
April 2024
summer 2024*
Advisory firm Kroll Associates, Inc. ended years of review of Austin policing issues in March with a
Graduation dates
*IN PROGRESS
SOURCE: AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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