⟵ Housing Advocacy

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Mission:
The Housing Advocacy Committee promotes affordable housing for all Austinites. We track code, policies, and discriminatory housing practices. The intention of this group is to be proactive, not reactive, on housing policy; we look for organizations to partner with on issues as we leverage our own expertise as design professionals and leaders of the community.
Meetings:
Second Friday of the month at 12:00PM. Email ingrid@aiaaustin.org to join the committee.
View the Calendar Here >
2024 Chair:
Jason Haskins, AIA
AIA 2024 Chair-Elect:
Chris Gannon
AIA Austin Staff Liason:
Ingrid Spencer
HOME INITIATIVE

The HOME (Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment) Initiative is a collection of amendments to the Land Development Code and related regulations intended to facilitate a greater diversity of housing options.

Submit Your Questions and Experiences

To help our members during the implementation of the HOME Initiative changes, we want to support our members and clients by collecting questions and issues that come up and sharing answers and experiences found while working on projects using these ordinances. Use the form below to share and the Housing Advocacy Committee will publish additional resources and FAQs.

Submit your questions and share your experiences here!

HOME Phase 1 (2023)

The Austin City Council passed the HOME Phase 1 ordinance on 07 December 2023. Ordinance 20231207-001 amends the Land Development Code relating to occupancy limits and the allowable numbers of dwelling units on lots zoned SF-1, SF-2, and SF-3. The ordinance will go into effect on 05 February 2024 for new applications. To download a summary of the Ordinance with FAQ, click the image below:

HOME Phase 1 Summary Handout

The AIA Austin Housing Advocacy Committee worked with the City of Austin staff, Council, and Planning Commission to model the potential impact of the HOME Initiative. The Committee’s full summary and recommendations can be found below.

HOME Phase 2 (2024)

The current focus of the HOME Initiative is a reduction in Minimum Lot Size. The AIA Housing Advocacy Committee continues to work with the City to study the impact of the specific policy changes and make recommendations. Please join us if you want to help!

Additional Information and Resources

AUSTIN CODE CARDS

The AIA Austin Housing Advocacy Committee is pleased to announce the launch of the Austin Code Cards: a new resource to help the community better understand the development constraints and opportunities in Austin. The Austin Code Cards seek to improve access to the code with a user-friendly graphic overview of critical aspects of the Land Development Code and link back to our Austin Code Resources for additional guidance.

A free, printed set of the cards can be picked up at the AIA Austin office or downloaded below.

AUSTIN CODE CARDS – CLICK TITLE TO DOWNLOAD
CARD 0 | Development Code Regulations & Definitions
CARD 1 | Base & Special Zoning
CARD 2 | Housing Density & Density Bonus Programs
CARD 3 | Watershed Protection & Environmental + Sustainability
CARD 4 | Subchapter E Design Standards & Compatibility

Coming soon:

  • Parking & Transportation
  • Subchapter F (McMansion) & Residential Uses
  • Affordable Housing + Affordability Policies
  • Development Process

Upcoming Events

Housing Advocacy Committee Meeting

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Housing Advocacy Committee Meeting

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Housing Advocacy Committee Meeting

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SEE PAST EVENTS.

Committee Content

HOME Initiative Statement – October 2023

Download the letter here. October 25, 2023 Dear AIA Members, You may have recently received or heard about the purple notices from the City of Austin showing up in mailboxes across the city, which indicate proposed changes to the codes governing low and medium-density residential lots. You may also have read or heard from other … Continued