Latest news with #DB90
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin City Council amends density bonus program for affordable housing
The Brief Austin City Council approved an update to the density bonus program A tenant at Acacia Cliffs has been fighting a rezoning request from developers AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council approved an update to the density bonus program, which is to help with affordable housing. For months, tenants at Acacia Cliffs, an affordable apartment complex in Northwest Austin, have been fighting a rezoning request from developers that would make it a newer, taller complex. Local perspective Eric Gomez has lived at Acacia Cliffs since 2016. "Right now, my rent's $1,088, and that's not including the fees they add to it," Gomez said. "If I had to pay $1,200, $1,300, considering how grocery prices have skyrocketed, that I'm a federal employee, and they're looking to cut, to basically make our benefits more expensive, cutting back on our overtime. I wouldn't be able to afford it." The rezoning request uses DB90, a density bonus program, which was meant for more affordable housing by allowing taller buildings. The mayor says there have been "unintended consequences." There could be fewer affordable units when the place is redeveloped. Under the current DB90, a developer is only required to have 12 percent affordable housing. At Acacia Cliffs, that would be 84 out of 290 units. "They can rezone it from a multifamily residence to a commercial residence and then apply DB90 and not have the protections there for the tenants. This, of course, would end up being catastrophic for many of those working families," Gomez said. Acacia Cliffs tenants are calling on the City Council to require developers to replace any demolished affordable units, so those like Gomez can stick with their affordable housing. "I really do not know where I would live, and I really like where I live. It's close to everything that I like," he said. Many council members agree on closing the loophole. Council member Vanessa Fuentes proposed an amendment for a one-to-one unit replacement. What they're saying Michael Whellan, Attorney with Armbrust & Brown, PLLC, represents the developers. In a statement, he says: "We acknowledge that this is a difficult case, but it is important to keep in mind that the city already allows this property to be redeveloped today. The problem is that the current rules don't require any affordability or tenant assistance at all. What we're proposing would lock in a meaningful tenant assistance package as well as brand new affordable units that the city will continue to monitor and guarantee for the next 40 years." He goes on to say: "The current units rent at lower levels because they're older. But older units also start to fail. They start to have problems, no matter how hard you work to keep on top of them. And older buildings eat up a lot of energy and let stormwater run off without detaining or treating it. That all starts to add up. What we're proposing would address all of that, while also locking in new affordable housing and tenant protections." The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen, statements from Austin City Council members, and statements from an attorney
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Unintended consequences': Austin reworking affordable housing incentive program
AUSTIN (KXAN) — For months, residents at Acacia Cliffs Apartments — near MoPac and Far West Boulevard — have been fighting a rezoning request from the building's owners that would result in the demolition of the aging complex to rebuild a newer, taller apartment complex. For Eric Gomez, who has lived at Acacia Cliffs since 2016, it could mean he'll no longer be able to afford living in a spot that allows him to easily get to work, the grocery store, the library and a nearby hospital. He's one of the residents showing up at city hall regularly, asking city council members to shut down that rezoning request. But what the residents may not have known at first is that — for now — city council has tied its hands on what it can do in cases like this one. The options here: Approve the rezoning request under Austin's DB90 program, which only requires developers to commit to a certain number of affordable units in exchange for loosened height restrictions, or don't approve the rezoning request and allow the developer to demolish the complex anyways, rebuild it under the same zoning structure and commit no affordable units to the city's pipeline at all. 'DB90 has been an unhappy experience. Even with Council's well motivated goals for DB90, this density program, as currently created, is proving to be divisive, difficult to utilize, and ultimately too far from achieving the goal of Council to provide more housing by allowing more density,' Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wrote. He continued, 'The unintended consequences we're seeing need to be addressed.' That's why Austin City Council is voting on changes to DB90 Thursday in an attempt to close those loopholes. One group of council members — Jose Velasquez, Chito Vela, Zo Qadri, Mike Siegel — and the mayor are proposing the city's density bonus programs be reworked entirely. 'The main thrust of the resolution is creation of a hierarchy of density bonus paper districts that include both lower and higher heights than DB90. This is a critical necessity in our code, as this provides options that may allow for better outcomes,' Watson said. Meanwhile, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes said she wants the city to prioritize a one-for-one unit replacement. And Austin City Council Member Marc Duchen is looking to fund a new preservation program altogether — modeled after other cities like Dallas. 'This would give us another enormous tool in our arsenal that could start working in as little as three months to start buying down the affordability and making sure that we are extending the life of these properties,' he explained of his proposal. You can see all of the proposals from Austin City Council members on this message board heading into Thursday's council meeting. Gomez said he'll be there Thursday, asking for a solution that lets him stay where he is, at a price he can afford. 'Everyone needs to be made aware of it and make sure that the policies that the city council members create are actually indeed doing what they're supposed to be doing and not the opposite,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
