Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Staff proposes new downtown density bonus districts, shifting review from design commission to staff
Summary
Austin Planning presented Phase 1 of a downtown density bonus update proposing two combining districts (DDB 400 and DDB 850) that would add 400 and 850 feet of height to base zoning, require 100% of community-benefits be affordable housing (with small reductions for on‑site preservation), and replace design commission review with staff-administered urban design standards.
Austin Planning presented a Phase 1 update to the downtown density bonus program that would rezone the Phase 1 geography into a new combining district called DDB 400 and allow projects to seek an optional DDB 850 rezoning through standard rezoning procedures.
"Staff is proposing to rezone all the properties within phase 1 into DDB 400 combining district granting those 400 additional feet of height," said Alan Pani, principal planner, who led the briefing. Under staff’s proposal, the combining district heights would be additive to base zoning and would set a maximum that council could not exceed.
The proposal would also change how urban design is reviewed: rather than relying on a design‑commission review, projects that opt into the bonus…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
