Planning commission advances expanded University Neighborhood Overlay with new affordability, safety and retail rules

The Austin Planning Commission voted unanimously to move a package of code changes that expands the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO) and adds new requirements for affordability, safety and ground-floor retail.

The commission’s action on items 20–22 sends the UNO amendments—and related draft Land Development Code language on tenant protections—to City Council with multiple commissioner-led adjustments to staff’s draft.

The update is aimed at increasing housing capacity near the University of Texas at Austin, encouraging retail and grocery space in key locations, strengthening safety design requirements and changing affordability formulas tied to building height.

Commissioners and dozens of public speakers debated the map, permitted building heights and the affordability math for months and again during public comment. Students, co-op housing representatives and affordable-housing advocates urged broader boundaries and taller limits in parts of the overlay to increase bedroom capacity. Neighborhood groups, historic-preservation advocates and representatives of parks and religious institutions urged lower heights in some corridors, required ground-floor retail in key locations, protections for historic structures, and added funding for Pease Park and other nearby parks.

“Expand UNO boldly and meaningfully,” student speaker Marathan (Mario) Perez told commissioners, urging larger boundaries and higher allowances in parts of North and Outer West Campus. “This isn’t about a zoning decision. It’s a decision about who gets to live in the city and who gets pushed out.” (Mario Perez, public comment, 00:40:04–00:42:21)

Pease Park Conservancy chief executive Nicole Netherton asked the commission to include a funding mechanism for park maintenance tied to density, saying Pease Park’s visitation has surged and that new density “creates more impact for Pease Park, which creates increased needs for O and M support.” (Nicole Netherton, public comment, 00:43:13–00:45:23)

Neighborhood speakers urged a measured approach on Guadalupe Street and nearby blocks, asking for height and ground-floor retail rules to protect walkability and existing affordability. Leslie Taylor, representing the Awuna (Old West University Neighborhood Association), said parts of West Campus already provide naturally affordable housing and asked the commission to cap heights approaching single-family blocks and require retail “not just as a suggestion but as required” where new development fronts neighborhood entrances. (Leslie Taylor, public comment, 00:54:57–01:08:40)

Safety was a recurring theme. Speakers representing SafeHorns and other student-safety advocates asked that Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards and basic safety measures—lighting, secured access and regular maintenance—be added or strengthened. The commission adopted amendments that direct staff to consider specific safety-design language, including improved lighting and access controls for semi-public spaces.

What was approved (summary) - Expanded UNO boundaries and subdistrict mapping with targeted height limits in specific corridors; commissioners modified staff maps to reinstate 600-foot allowances in some interior cores while keeping lower step-downs along certain edges. The planning commission directed that portions of Guadalupe fronting the university be limited to lower heights than other interior parcels. (Map amendments and subdistrict definitions as amended.) - New or revised affordability requirements tied to building height: higher-percentage bedroom-based affordability for taller projects, plus unit-based options and ownership alternatives; the commission adjusted the bedroom/unit ratios and clarified where fee-in-lieu is and is not allowed. - Tenant protections and lease-timing limits: the commission instructed staff to incorporate limits on when renewals and new leases may be offered (no earlier than five months before a move-in or renewal date, with exemptions for group residential uses such as cooperatives and fraternities/sororities), and to move related language to the code package for Council consideration. - Safety and maintenance: the commission added language directing staff to incorporate CPTED-aligned measures (lighting, visibility, secure building and common-area access) and to work with campus and public-safety advocates to refine required elements and maintenance expectations. - Ground-floor retail and grocery incentives: commissioners made ground-floor pedestrian-oriented commercial uses a primary expectation on principal streets, allowed waivers where developments include a qualifying grocery of at least 2,500 square feet or transit-supportive infrastructure, and adjusted definitions to emphasize fresh produce and full-service grocery offerings. - Parking, bicycle and transit infrastructure: the commission adjusted above-ground parking limits, incentivized transit-supportive infrastructure and aligned bike-parking provisions with prior Urban Transportation Commission recommendations. - Minimum lot size and building typologies: the commission preserved a reduced minimum lot area (2,500 sq ft) for small-lot, single-stair multifamily types in UNO after amendments from commissioners.

Votes at a glance (select outcomes from the meeting) - Consent agenda (including many rezones, plan amendments and postponements): passed unanimously. (Motion to close public hearing and approve consent agenda; recorded as passed unanimously.) - Item 17 (postponement request by Cambridge Tower neighbors for ingress/egress information): motion to postpone to May 27 passed (9 in favor, 1 against). Commissioners cited time for additional neighborhood–applicant coordination. - UNO ordinance and related LDC/Chapter 4.18 provisions (items 20–22): base motion to forward staff recommendation plus the commission’s amendments passed unanimously.

Why it matters UNO has been central to Austin’s efforts to add housing near UT and to shape the West Campus and adjacent neighborhoods for two decades. Commission members said the package builds on earlier UNO success while attempting to balance competing priorities: maximize housing capacity for students and others, protect adjacent neighborhood character, increase retail/service infrastructure (including food access), and add explicit safety and park-support measures tied to increased visitation.

What happens next The Planning Commission’s recommendation will go to City Council and related code language (including a draft Chapter 4.18 tenant-protections ordinance) is scheduled for council consideration. Council and staff will have opportunities to refine the map, affordability triggers and program details before any final ordinance adoption.

Community response and next steps Student groups, co-op representatives and affordable-housing advocates celebrated approvals that expand capacity and protect bedroom leasing options and co-op opportunities. Neighborhood, historic-preservation and park advocates said they welcomed some of the commission’s protections but said they will continue to press Council for stronger guarantees on retail permanence, park funding and protections for contributing historic buildings.

The commission asked staff to keep working with community stakeholders, including SafeHorns, Pease Park Conservancy, University Area Partners, Canpack and neighborhood associations, to refine language before the Council hearing.

Ending note The UNO update represents a multi-year policy effort to reconcile the city’s housing goals, student needs and neighborhood preservation priorities in a small, high-demand area of the city. Council will consider the Planning Commission’s amended package in the coming weeks; staff has been directed to return with draft ordinance language and any clarifying analyses the commission requested.