5/23/23 Housing and Planning Committee Meeting
Posted: Tue May 23, 2023 10:50 am
Greetings colleagues –
The Housing and Planning Committee will be receiving a briefing and taking action on two important items this afternoon at 1 PM in Council Chambers.
Items 3 and 5… Colony Park PUD Amendment
This amendment represents one of our greatest opportunities to leverage public land, develop affordable housing, and improve the lives of both current and future Austinites. This community initiative is the culmination of decades of advocacy by East Austin residents and collaboration between City of Austin Departments.
Staff has provided a resolution for the Housing and Planning Committee to recommend for full Council consideration before the summer break (Link to resolution here: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=409252 ). I hope you will join me in supporting the collective work this effort represents by voicing your support at this afternoon’s meeting and voting in support of the resolution either at today’s committee or when it returns to us at full council.
Items 2 and 4… LDC Amendments Prioritization
This is a critical step our Council can take to help provide clarity and direction to City Staff so that their time and resources are being spent on policy that will have the greatest impact on our housing goals. Today’s briefing will include a staff walk-through of existing LDC amendments, their status, and suggested prioritization based on a number of factors. These amendments and staff’s memo outlining prioritization is posted as back-up to our committee agenda (Link to staff memo here:https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=409251 ).
As you will remember, the Housing and Planning Committee voted in April for staff to provide this briefing and suggested prioritization at today’s meeting so that we could recommend any changes or new amendments for the full council’s consideration. I expect and encourage conversation from both committee members and non-committee members at this afternoon’s meeting. This is an opportunity to discuss in the public and without quorum constraints our collective ideas and vision for how we can take bold action with consideration for the existing direction the Council and Planning Commission have already initiated.
If you are planning on introducing an LDC amendment or other policy initiative to full Council in the near future, I hope you will consider this an opportunity for you to spotlight your work and identify how it could or should fit within Staff’s proposed prioritization and the broader context land use reform. The committee is posted to take action on this proposed prioritization which may include suggested changes and additional items for prioritization.
Colleagues – we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to fixing our broken and oppressive Land Development Code. Conversations and actions like the ones we are having today represent a crucial first step towards addressing our critical housing needs.
Thank you,
Chair Harper-Madison
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Posted on behalf of Councilmember Harper-Madison
The Housing and Planning Committee will be receiving a briefing and taking action on two important items this afternoon at 1 PM in Council Chambers.
Items 3 and 5… Colony Park PUD Amendment
This amendment represents one of our greatest opportunities to leverage public land, develop affordable housing, and improve the lives of both current and future Austinites. This community initiative is the culmination of decades of advocacy by East Austin residents and collaboration between City of Austin Departments.
Staff has provided a resolution for the Housing and Planning Committee to recommend for full Council consideration before the summer break (Link to resolution here: https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=409252 ). I hope you will join me in supporting the collective work this effort represents by voicing your support at this afternoon’s meeting and voting in support of the resolution either at today’s committee or when it returns to us at full council.
Items 2 and 4… LDC Amendments Prioritization
This is a critical step our Council can take to help provide clarity and direction to City Staff so that their time and resources are being spent on policy that will have the greatest impact on our housing goals. Today’s briefing will include a staff walk-through of existing LDC amendments, their status, and suggested prioritization based on a number of factors. These amendments and staff’s memo outlining prioritization is posted as back-up to our committee agenda (Link to staff memo here:https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/ ... ?id=409251 ).
As you will remember, the Housing and Planning Committee voted in April for staff to provide this briefing and suggested prioritization at today’s meeting so that we could recommend any changes or new amendments for the full council’s consideration. I expect and encourage conversation from both committee members and non-committee members at this afternoon’s meeting. This is an opportunity to discuss in the public and without quorum constraints our collective ideas and vision for how we can take bold action with consideration for the existing direction the Council and Planning Commission have already initiated.
If you are planning on introducing an LDC amendment or other policy initiative to full Council in the near future, I hope you will consider this an opportunity for you to spotlight your work and identify how it could or should fit within Staff’s proposed prioritization and the broader context land use reform. The committee is posted to take action on this proposed prioritization which may include suggested changes and additional items for prioritization.
Colleagues – we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to fixing our broken and oppressive Land Development Code. Conversations and actions like the ones we are having today represent a crucial first step towards addressing our critical housing needs.
Thank you,
Chair Harper-Madison
---------------------------------------------------------
Posted on behalf of Councilmember Harper-Madison