Changes on the Table

It'll take a lot longer than five months - the fast-track Smart Growth time frame - to fix all that needs fixing in the Land Development Code and the city's approval process. So the Smart Growth Focus Group and city staff have set their sights on making a handful of key changes with the greatest impact. What might these be? Here are some possibilities, proposed by staff and currently getting reactions in focus group meetings: Subdivision Time Limits Expect a new LDC to place a time limit on all projects; that is, if you file a project but don't build it, your approval will eventually expire. Right now, no such limit exists on residential subdivisions. Last year's SB 1704 focus group came up with a tentative set of time limits - 3.5 years in the Drinking Water Protection Zone (west of town), and 5.5 years in the Desired Development Zones (everywhere else). Preliminary Planning Another way around the 1704 time-limit issue; since what, right now, exists forever is a subdivision's preliminary plan, the city may do away with these plans entirely. Developers would submit "concept plans" that provide information to the city but don't actually get "approved." Post-Development Platting Right now, you can plat (that is, legally subdivide, with a deed) a lot whether or not you've built on it, or even built the infrastructure for it. The city is looking at the "Plano model," wherein developers have to build infrastructure (or at least pay for it, i.e., "post fiscal") before taking their plats to the courthouse. Site Plan / Building Permit Consolidation Austin used to combine site-plan approval with zoning cases - such as what we're seeing with the Triangle, where state law still requires this. Now, site plans for commercial and multi-family projects have to be filed and approved separately, after zoning but before developers can apply for building permits. Expect some moves toward consolidating these last two steps; in other cities, once a site plan is approved, building permits are issued automatically. Restricting Utility Service Extensions A longstanding bane of Austin's attempts to regulate growth - right now, property owners can secure commitments from the city to extend utility service long before they produce a develop-ment proposal. Many in the city would like to link any service extensions to specific projects. Sealed Work The city's detailed review of design professionals' sealed work is a longstanding sore point. Other cities do little if any review of sealed work, though often that's because they simply don't have the staff to do it. Other Code Improvements In addition to the six "baseline issues" above - most of which are fairly specific to growth on the fringe - we can expect some attempts to make the Code and process easier on projects in the Desired Development Zone, and especially on infill projects. Much of the talk about the latter has been keyed to the city's neighborhood planning process. The beau ideal of Smart Growth is a system where projects that are consistent with approved neighborhood plans - of which there should be at least three by September - can get the city's green light in six weeks, instead of the six months or more it takes now. - M.C.M.