Austin planners review staff proposal to require bird‑friendly glazing and dark‑sky lighting for larger buildings

City Planning Commission members on Wednesday heard a staff briefing on a proposed bird‑friendly design code amendment that would require commercial and multifamily buildings exceeding 10,000 square feet to meet bird‑collision performance standards and adopt dark‑sky lighting practices.

Leslie Lilly of Watershed Protection, who led the presentation, said the proposal responds to a City Council resolution directing staff to update the city's Lights Out program, assess feasibility, and seek stakeholder input. Lilly described Austin's location on the Central Flyway, noted that hundreds of species pass through the region and cited national and local estimates of collision risk — including staff references to studies estimating that about 1,000,000,000 birds die annually in North America from building collisions and that, during a recent fall migration night, roughly 4.5 million birds passed over Travis County. Lilly said collisions are driven by reflective and transparent glass and by artificial light that draws birds into urban areas at night.

Staff recommended a three‑part approach: a land‑development code amendment to require commercial and multifamily buildings larger than 10,000 square feet to meet a bird‑safe design performance standard measured by the…