As you probably know, the City of Austin is hard at work on a plan to rezone every property in our community, with a final vote on the matter as early as March. Local officials want to let land developers pack up to 10 homes and buildings up to 45 feet tall on residential lots in the city’s “transition zones,” and they plan to allow a minimum of three large homes on virtually all lots outside those zones.
You read that right: Every neighborhood, every street, and every home in Austin is put at risk by the city’s current rezoning plan.
The good news is you can protect your home and nearby properties by filing an official rezoning protest online. It takes less than a minute for property owners to log on, fill out the electronic form, and submit it to city officials. The current deadline for protests is February 29, 2020.
Here’s what may happen if you or your neighbors fail to file protests before the Austin City Council approves the plan:
Local officials will be able to rezone your property with a simple majority vote of the city council.
If you file an official rezoning protest online, our legal team believes city officials will be unable to rezone your property without approval by three-fourths of the city council (nine of 11 votes), rather than a simple majority. In the initial vote on the plan, Mayor Steve Adler was able to muster only seven votes in support of it—so filing a protest could be your best and only chance to protect your and nearby properties!
Properties in your immediate vicinity could be demolished and replaced with taller, denser developments.
Filing an official rezoning protest doesn’t just protect your property—it can also protect nearby properties. When the owners of at least 20 percent of the area within 200 feet of a property protest its rezoning jointly, the City of Austin cannot rezone it without approval by three-fourths of the city council. Neighbors who wish to take advantage of this process may use this form. Go to FileYourProtest.com for the City of Austin’s mailing address and to learn more.
The City of Austin claims local residents cannot protest comprehensive rezoning plans, but our legal team believes local officials are wrong. The matter is in litigation and will soon be decided by a local court.
That doesn’t mean local property owners should wait to file a protest. File now, before the city council takes a final vote on the rezoning plan and the deadline for filing protests passes! Let’s show the court and the city how much Austinites care about their community.
Together we can build an Austin for everyone!