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Austin planning staff give committee updated timeline for land development code amendments
Summary
Planning department staff briefed the Housing and Planning Committee on a schedule of code amendments and studies, including UNO updates, station-area plan code rules and a package of future updates stretching into 2026.
City of Austin planning staff told the Housing and Planning Committee that several land development code changes are moving toward City Council in the coming weeks and months, and that work on larger code reforms will continue through 2025 and into 2026.
Stevie Greathouse, division manager in the Planning Department, told the committee the department’s memo and attached April 2025 chart show several items that have advanced since staff last briefed the committee in February. “Since we last briefed the housing and planning committee in February, several items have moved forward and staff have made a few refinements to the timeline,” Greathouse said.
Why it matters: the schedule laid out by staff sets the near-term calendar for code changes that affect housing production and design. Some items are already adopted; others are scheduled for hearing and potential Council action and could be delayed or combined depending on Planning Commission action and neighborhood requests.
Key items and near-term dates - Adopted: code amendments related to short-term rentals (action taken Feb. 27), site-plan “site plan light” and infill lot amendments (Mar. 6), Colorado River protections (Mar. 27) and a targeted amendment to preservation bonus provisions of the HOME program (Apr. 24). - May–June: staff said amendments related to the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO) and creation of a new DB-UNO density bonus are now scheduled for Planning Commission and are likely to move to Council in June after a neighborhood-postponement request (Planning Commission hearing set for May 13; staff expect to request a June 5 Council postponement). - May 22: staff expect a code amendment establishing an amendment process for new station-area plan types to come to Council, concurrent with station-area plan adoption for the North Lamar and South Congress Transit Center areas.
Longer-term work - Integration: staff said phase 2 of the equitable transit-oriented development overlay (ETOD) will be coordinated with a forthcoming citywide density-bonus effort intended to produce a more coherent set of tools by the end of 2025. - Corridor and downtown updates: the East Riverside corridor vision plan update (consultant onboarded; outreach anticipated in fall) is expected to move toward review/adoption in 2026; an update to the downtown density bonus is slated to move forward in tandem with any Downtown Austin Plan update, with a current goal for review/adoption by the end of 2026.
Staff cautioned the timeline is ambitious and will be adjusted as public engagement and other steps proceed. Greathouse said staff will continue to identify specific review and adoption dates and noted the schedule in the memo attached to backup reflects current intentions.
What the committee asked: members asked for clarification about the “new zoning district study,” missing-middle and transit-oriented mixed-use zones, and where recently adopted “single‑stair” code provisions might apply. Greathouse said existing mixed-use and moderate-density multifamily zones could accommodate single-stair buildings but that the new zoning-district study is intended to recommend more explicitly targeted zones that encourage “missing middle” housing and vertical mixed use.
What's next: staff said they will continue to refine the chart and return to Council and the committee with specific code amendment language and schedule updates as items are ready for public hearing or Council consideration.
