The Next CodeNEXT Put Off for Another Day, Again

Community members giving feedback in 2011 during the Imagine Austin planning process, but not answering the questions that Spencer Cronk has now. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Let's be real: Tuesday's long-awaited unveiling of the next twist in the CodeNEXT saga was a bit of a letdown. Eight months after that land use code rewrite project was abandoned, the big announcement this week is that ... City Manager Spencer Cronk needs more input before he can proceed on crafting its replacement. He'll seek advice from Council on how much of a code overhaul they'd like to take on and how soon, as well as specific direction on key areas of dispute such as parking, compatibility, and height, and return with a memo later this month that will "tee up some of those key questions," he said.

Basically, we're in the same place we were back in August, except that Council members and community stakeholders have had a few months to calm down. Presumably, that's what Cronk found in his eight-month postmortem: The pressure and pain points are as sensitive now as they ever were, and we eventually have to get to the hard part. "From all the feedback that I've received and from the discussions that I've had, I can't really move forward with any process recommendations until I have more specific guidance on some key areas," Cronk told the Council.

As Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza told me back in December, eventually these key issues will come to up-or-down votes, and someone "will be on the losing end." That reality clearly hasn't escaped the preservationist bloc that has struggled to reconcile the fact that breaking down Austin's legacy of systemic racism includes changing in some measure its way of life. Council Member Kathie Tovo fretted on Tuesday that up-or-down votes might not be conducive to conversation. But do we want to continue having a conversation? Or do we want a new land use code?

Cronk's already discovered this longtime bug in Austin's political operating system, with the sprawling Imagine Austin Com­pre­hensive Plan as a leading example. The city ducked out on a lot of tough choices there as well, which left us with a glorified wish list instead of a cohesive planning document that provides clear guidance to planners or the city manager. We can obviously do the same thing again with the code rewrite, while the city's poor move farther away, and those with less resources continue to fight it out in a landlord's market.

While this week's work-session presentation was anticlimactic, hopefully Cronk's approach can get us to where Council can take up-or-down votes – "a formal vote that would come back to staff so we could have some clear guidance on how to move forward," he said – and we can begin to finally make strides toward becoming a fair and inclusive city. The city propped up by the land use status quo is neither of those things, and the longer we argue, the longer that remains in effect.

On That Cheerful Note ...

ATXN viewers of Tuesday's work session will have unfortunately – or not – missed Council's rendition of the Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four," sung in honor of CM Leslie Pool's birthday. It's a sad day when the city of Austin can't splurge on the rights to a song released in 1967. You deserve better than that, Leslie!

Back to regular news, the City Choir, er, Council tackles a slight 59-Item agenda today, Thursday, March 7, that includes the second appearance of the Town Lake Circle rezoning case that passed last week on first reading, despite lingering questions (notably from CM Greg Casar) about displacement and affordability. Council will hear more details about the deal, and its affordable-housing provisions in return for a density bonus, and decide whether it merits redevelopment of the current market-rate complex.

Item 43, a variance for a house on Avenue D that sits within the 25- and 100-year Waller Creek flood plains, might spark some controversy. Members also spent much of Tuesday's work session parsing Item 3, a capital budget amendment paving the way for the first installment of the 2018 bonds.

Council will return for its next regular meeting on March 28. By that point Cronk may have the "clear guidance" he needs to resume progress on a land use code rewrite ... by the time my young ass is 64.