KEY POINTS:
- An internal report by City Hall staffers argues against the Austin City Council’s latest rezoning plan
- The report confirms some facts about zoning, the housing market, and housing costs, facts that many supporters of the council’s rezoning plan deny
- Concerned residents should file protests no later than December 5
As we told readers last week, a candid internal report quietly filed by City of Austin housing staffers sharply contradicts claims made by supporters of the city council’s HOME initiative. One council member said this latest rezoning plan “goes much further than anything our staff brought to council for a vote during the Codenext [process.]”
But the city staff’s report doesn’t just contradict supporters of the council’s upzoning plan. It also confirms some key facts about zoning, the housing market, and housing costs—facts that many council members deny:
- According to the city staff’s report, “massive inflation in [home] prices [between 2019 and 2022] is not a function of zoning and its impact on development cost; Rather, it is the product of land speculation and the right to treat housing as an investment.”
- According to the city staff’s report, Austin’s housing market has experienced “unprecedented speculative inflation.” New units whose prices are not expressly constrained by deed restrictions “will be subject to this warping under our current market conditions.”
- According to the city staff’s report, “Market driven solutions to the housing crisis will likely reproduce the same dynamics that play out today, wherein parties with more resources may take advantage of the new regulatory landscape, while those with the fewest resources experience an increase in precarity.”
Protect your home and neighborhood from the City of Austin’s latest rezoning plan. File your protest by December 5!
The council’s plan is set to be adopted in two phases. Phase 1 would upzone most single-family neighborhoods to three units per lot. Phase 2, scheduled to follow next year, would allow six or more units on existing single-family lots through resubdivision into smaller lots.
Phase 1 of the HOME plan is set for a vote on December 7. If it is approved, it will radically change Austin’s existing communities by:
- Increasing the number and allowed size of units on single-family lots in many cases while not making housing more affordable
- Displacing renters and homeowners through redevelopment and increased tax burdens
Fortunately, you have a way to fight back: File your protest to protect your home and neighborhood from the City of Austin’s latest rezoning plan. Deadline extended to December 5! Or use our form to file by mail (mail in by November 29).
We also recommend you reach out to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and your representative on the Austin City Council using the contact information below. Tell them not to approve the HOME plan because it will hurt Austin!
Mayor Kirk Watson:
kirk.watson@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2100
Natasha Harper-Madison (District 1):
natasha.madison@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2101
Vanessa Fuentes (District 2):
vanessa.fuentes@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2102
José Velásquez (District 3):
jose.velasquez@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2103
José “Chito” Vela (District 4):
chito.vela@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2104
Ryan Alter (District 5):
ryan.alter@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2105
Mackenzie Kelly (District 6):
mackenzie.kelly@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2106
Leslie Pool (District 7):
leslie.pool@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2107
Paige Ellis (District 8):
paige.ellis@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2108
Zohaib “Zo” Qadri (District 9):
zohaib.qadri@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2109
Alison Alter (District 10):
alison.alter@austintexas.gov | 512-978-2110
Check this map if you aren’t sure which council member represents you. You may send a single email to the mayor and all council members using this form.
Together we can build an Austin for everyone!