Development
BY BEN THOMPSON
New building program in use
Some context
Dozens of zoning cases for mixed-use development around Austin are advancing this year under the new DB90 program. DB90 expands Approved Pending approval
DB90 requires more a ordable housing than the overturned mixed-use program. Between 10% and 12% of the housing built under DB90 must be set aside for residents making less than two-thirds of the Austin area’s median family income, or MFI. The former program’s standards were based on higher MFI limits.
Plans for dozens of mixed-use developments with a ordable housing are advancing around Austin under a new city building program. The program, DB90—a density bonus program allowing up to 90 feet of building height—stems from City Council e orts to bring denser, mixed- use development to Austin’s busiest corridors. Initially, o cials expanded the existing vertical- mixed use a ordable building program. However, a local judge voided that update in late 2023 following a resident lawsuit. In response, DB90 was created with similar provisions. Many zoning cases under the new designation have now moved through city reviews after the rst few were approved this spring. More than 20 DB90 cases have been approved since a program revision was nalized in August, and more will be considered in the future. In total, DB90 cases approved through mid- September would add more than 8,300 new homes and apartments with thousands of square feet of new commercial space around Austin. That development would also include more than 800 income-restricted housing units. “We’ve heard calls for more a ordable housing for all kinds of people in all parts of town for years, and the council has acknowledged and joined those calls,” Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool said Aug. 29. “The city is responding with policy revisions, and this dais continues to act. DB90 and its original iteration ... is just one example of speci c, targeted action.”
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DB90 requires developers to set aside at least one-tenth of new housing units for lower-income residents earning 50%-60% of the local MFI.
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That’s currently $44,100-$52,920 for an individual
$63,000-$75,600 for a four-person household
MOPAC
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Austin
OAK BLVD.
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
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One more thing
As council continues to sign o on DB90 projects, the program has drawn criticism from many around Austin. Some neighborhood groups have called for a moratorium on all projects under the program. Residents have said the program’s rollout was rushed after the 2023 court decision, that the taller projects are too widespread and out of line with many neighborhood plans, and that community bene ts like a ordability won’t e ectively serve the surrounding areas.
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MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
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