Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Properties ee Austin regulations
Sorting out details
SB 2038 was opposed by Austin o cials given concerns about the impact of looser standards in the ETJ on water quality, environmental features such as Barton Springs and the Colorado River, and other city issues related to development. “Large-scale developments can impact tra c, park use, future water planning. ... If the city is not involved in the development process, the city can- not be prepared for the impacts these developments might have on city services,” a spokesperson said. Development consultant Michael Linehan said he believes the new option can make properties more developable and valuable as it bypasses certain environmental regulations and Austin’s “notorious” permitting process. Generally, leaving Austin’s ETJ also won’t mean a loss of city utility service.
From the law’s e ective date on Sept. 1 through the month of January, city records show Austin received more than 250 petitions for properties’ releases from the city ETJ and into unincorporated Travis County. Most requests have been approved. Records show applications for ETJ release have included individual homes, undeveloped lands, larger subdivisions and developments, and facilities like the Austin Executive Airport and Tesla’s riverfront Gigafactory.
Owners of thousands of acres of land around the edges of Austin are removing their properties from city oversight under a new state law that went into e ect last year. Senate Bill 2038 allows any properties in a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ— unincorporated land near city limits in which some city regulations apply—to petition for removal from that boundary. Under SB 2038, cities cannot deny a request for release.
KEY
183A TOLL
45 TOLL
ETJ areas Properties released from the ETJ
LAKE TRAVIS
183
35
95
360
What’s next
290
MOPAC
71
130 TOLL
Through early 2024, Austin continued to receive ETJ release applications on a near-daily basis. Nikelle Meade, a partner at Husch Blackwell law rm specializing in land-use issues, said it’s likely the city’s ETJ will continue to see many exits. “The end result could be that development around Austin becomes less expensive to complete, thus making the developments more a ordable for the end-users,” Meade said.
183
COLORADO RIVER
71
MOPAC
290
35
71
45 TOLL
21
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Target MAILBOXES WITH POSTCARDS local
SALESSUPPORT@ COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
13
NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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