CodeNEXT at Work (While It Still Can)

Staff continues to toil on doomed rewrite

CodeNEXT at Work (While It Still Can)

Despite the mayor's call to end CodeNEXT, and expectations that City Council could vote on such a proposal as soon as Aug. 9, the work for now continues. City staff overseeing the land use rewrite continue forging ahead on CodeNEXT testing, as directed by Council on June 28.

The city manager's office is charged with organizing a working group of design, development, and technical experts to review, model, and test the latest CodeNEXT draft, with attention placed on the impacts of non-zoning sections (such as housing capacity, Imagine Austin goals, and financial feasibility). A report on the findings is due Aug. 31, but a memo sent last week by interim Assistant City Manager Joe Pantalion alerted the mayor and Council to a lengthy list of challenges, including difficulty finding a diverse group of volunteers on short notice; logistical challenges; limited availability of technical staff and consultants; and locating space capable of recording to conform with the Texas Open Meetings Act. Once participants and meeting dates are set, staff will update Council with an expected completion date.

David Carroll, the CodeNEXT lead at the local chapter of American Institute of Architects, confirmed that AIA will "definitely" be involved in the testing. He said participants are working with staff to identify dates in August and early September to get the highest attendance. He expects two days for residential testing and two days for commercial and corridor testing.

Though Council returns for meetings this week, it remains uncertain when, or whether, the dais will resume CodeNEXT deliberations. However, Council will discuss the November election at its first regular meeting on Aug. 9, including the addition of the land use petition, and a City Charter amendment to include a removal process for Planning commissioners. Are we having fun yet?

Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
More CodeNEXT
Public Notice: Two Steps Forward ...
Public Notice: Two Steps Forward ...
A year ago, the last CodeNEXT draft was "unworkable." What's changed?

Nick Barbaro, April 19, 2019

What Land Use Code Do We Need to Build the City We Want?
What Land Use Code Do We Need to Build the City We Want?
Planning a way forward after CodeNEXT

the News Staff, April 12, 2019

More by Sarah Marloff
<i>An Army of Women</i> Tells the Story of a Criminal Justice Crusade in Austin
An Army of Women Tells the Story of a Criminal Justice Crusade in Austin
Julie Lunde Lillesæter shines a light on the women who made Austin a better place for rape survivors

March 8, 2024

City Acknowledges Its Debt to Sexual Assault Survivors
City Acknowledges Its Debt to Sexual Assault Survivors
Seen and heard

Feb. 4, 2022

KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

CodeNEXT

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle