In a guest editorial published in the Feb. 8 Austin American-Statesman (“Consensus on CodeNEXT Key to Managing Growth”), Mayor Steve Adler lays out his vision of a grand compromise regarding the ongoing rewrite of the Land Development Code. Adler calls for a new “Austin Bargain” regarding the CodeNEXT ends: “For starters, let’s agree we will not force density in the middle of neighborhoods. … And in exchange, let’s also agree that we will adopt a code rewrite that will give us the housing supply we need by focusing along our most-trafficked streets and our major busiest areas.”
So far, so good. If CodeNEXT can indeed achieve both of those goals simultaneously, it will have few serious detractors, and will no doubt be hailed as a huge success, if not a minor miracle. But Mayor Adler illustrates his case with a couple of bits of tautology which suggests the job ahead may be more difficult and complicated than he might like to admit.
First, Adler notes that currently, “every zoning case seems to require a variance or an exception of some kind from the Austin City Council.” But of course, that’s a lot like saying that every case that comes before a court seems to involve a dispute of some kind: Almost by definition, nothing becomes a “zoning case” unless someone is requesting “a variance or an exception” to the current zoning regulations. Now, if CodeNEXT can indeed clarify, simplify, and improve those regulations, as it promises – so that fewer minor alterations have to go through lengthy and expensive approval processes – that’s great, and to everyone’s benefit. But clearly, those aren’t the cases that are vexing Council now, and conflating the amount of time and money it takes to get a simple remodeling permit from Development Review, with the amount of time and political capital it takes to mediate a major rezoning case, is more than a little disingenuous. And solving one problem does not necessarily lead to solving the other. Specifically, solving the recurring development wars that are waged down at City Hall will require Council to effect a more or less permanent cease-fire between the two sides: first by enacting a new code and zoning map that can achieve the twin goals Adler lays out, but perhaps more importantly by then sticking to that code, and allowing it to govern development, without recourse to variances and exceptions that are so often requested of Council under the current code. If there’s a 60-foot height limit on a tract, that’s the limit, and a developer can’t ask for a variance to get more, nor can a neighbor complain that that’s too high. If we can get to that point, and keep both developer lobbyists and neighborhood activists out of the process – that’ll be a true Austin Bargain.
The mayor does go on to admit: “To do this, we’ll need to make hard decisions in the transition areas between corridors, centers and our neighborhoods, but an Austin Bargain would mean that we would begin the code revision process with agreement on as many as 95 percent of all properties in the city.”
But again, one might also say that we already have agreement on 95% of all properties in the city. It may not seem that way, because the noise from that other 5% can get pretty intense, but you only need to drive down South Lamar, North Burnet, East Riverside, or any of the dozens of other thoroughfares, to realize that a hell of a lot of major developments continue to be permitted and built with no major public angst whatsoever. And once again, I don’t mean to downplay the achievement here: To codify the tacit agreement on that 95% of properties – in line with Adler’s twin goals and with Imagine Austin – would be huge by itself. But it doesn’t necessarily get us any closer to resolving the deeply-felt disagreements regarding the 5% of properties that are already the areas of disagreement. “Hard decisions in the transition areas,” indeed.
And, wouldn’t you know it, the first of these thorny transition areas – perhaps the thorniest in the city – comes before Council today, at their Feb. 9 meeting, as the developers of Plaza Saltillo propose the first downtown-style development east of I-35. Opponents including the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Planning Team claim that Endeavor Real Estate Group, after winning a competitive bidding process to develop the 11-acre tract of public land, has “in an abrupt reversal” cut the amount of affordable housing drastically, and wants to double the height limit. “Neighbors want to hold Endeavor to its original promises of affordable housing and community-compatible, human-scale building height,” they said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
Pets, Hounds
Local animal service groups are holding a wide variety of events and promotions this week, doubtless in honor of the Chronicle‘s Pet Issue. Here are a couple; see “Community Listings” for more.
• Discover Love Adoption Event The Austin Humane Society, Austin Animal Center, and Austin Pets Alive! are waiving all adoption fees this weekend. Fri.-Sun., Feb. 10-12. www.austinhumanesociety.org, www.austinanimalcenter.org.
• The Austin Humane Society’s 13th annual AHS Car Raffle tickets are now on sale. You could win a 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport convertible, and from now through Sunday, Feb. 12, anyone who buys a minimum of three tickets ($50) will also be entered in a drawing for a romantic dinner for two including wine pairings at The Bonneville. Buy them at www.austinhumanesociety.org, or at the shelter at 124 W. Anderson.
• No Kill Save the Date Austin Pets Alive!’s sixth annual party celebrating No-Kill is next Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Palm Door on Sixth: live music, a photo booth, and “a live animal portrait painting.” www.austinpetsalive.org.
Stand Up for Schools Join supporters of public education at Austin Voices for Education and Youth‘s annual luncheon, which will include a legislative panel – “Community Schools as a Way Forward for Texas,” with state Sen. Sylvia Garcia and state Reps. Mary González and Gina Hinojosa – as well as awards to parents, students, and community partners, and an Austin Voices Hall of Fame presentation. AVEY does great work on a variety of fronts in local schools: family support, afterschool programs, parent and student leadership training, and much more; join them Wed., Feb. 15, noon-1:30pm at Dell Children’s Hospital’s Signe Auditorium. See www.austinvoices.org to reserve a seat at the luncheon for $40, buy raffle tickets, or take part in their online auction of some 40 items, ranging from restaurant gift certificates to San Antonio Spurs tickets to women’s boxing club memberships.
This article appears in Austin’s Most Eligible Dogs.