‘HOME’ builds out From the cover
What’s happening?
620 HOME Phase 1 under way Many new projects under HOME Phase 1 are moving forward. Once both phases of HOME are in place, the city estimates that 154,000 lots covering more than 70 square miles would be eligible. Issued Pending
Allowances under HOME unlock new housing options in Austin’s single-family-zoned areas where less exible building rules used to apply. The new options are now being considered by Austin property owners with scores of projects proposed since February, when the rst phase went into e ect. The plan was generally aimed at increasing the density of housing on single-family plots, resulting in more housing like duplexes and accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. “[HOME is] making for a better product. It’s three-bed, two-bath-type houses that have a more comfortable feel for homeowners,” said developer Cody Carr of Carr Residential. Developer Gabe Joseph said HOME builds on the popularity of ADUs and smaller housing in costlier areas, a trend that can now scale out to more neighborhoods—although HOME will likely be most-used around Central Austin rather than farther out, where new additions would compete with larger homebuilders. “In ll creates character,” he said. “You need to have massive growth, but I think you have to keep some sort of a central core that people want to be a part of. And this is what that looks like.” Austin’s Development Services Department, or DSD, began accepting HOME Phase 1 applications on Feb. 5. More than 100 permit requests had been led as of mid-July. It remains to be seen how widely HOME will be used, and whether it’ll have the intended e ect of curbing home prices and helping rst-time low- and middle-income buyers. City Council required regular reporting on HOME to publicly track projects and their impacts in Austin. The rst of those reviews is expected in August.
35
183
AS OF JULY 16
Pending projects
• In South Austin, one single-family home on South First Street would be replaced with three. • In West Austin, an older home will be replaced with a ive- bedroom home and a one-bedroom casita.
2222
360 TOLL
35
290
Austin
MOPAC
290
183
35
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH ©
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Shop here to grab a pair!
28
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook