1. Land Development Process in Austin Austin Neighborhoods Council August 20, 2013

2. Regulatory Framework Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan Neighborhood Plans Land Development Code

3. Regulations for using and building on land WHAT can be built WHERE it can be built HOW MUCH can be built HOW it can be used WHEN it can be used

4. Code Contents Technical Requirements Land Use Transportation Drainage Environment Water and Wastewater Signs Buildings Processes

5. Land Development Process Zoning Subdivision Site plan Building permit Inspection

6. Zoning Land use Lot size Building size (density and intensity) Height Setbacks Building and impervious coverage Landscape Design Standards

7. Zoning Approval City Council Land Use Commission Public hearings Discretionary Process

8. Subdivision Division of a tract of land into parcels for the purpose of sale, development, or extension of utilities to the property May include new streets, lots, blocks, utilities, drainage

9. Subdivision Approval Land Use Commission Director (four lots or less) Non-discretionary except for variances Recorded in county deed records Difficult to modify

10. Subdivisions in ETJ City jurisdiction extends 5 miles beyond city limits City and Travis County have single set of subdivision regulations for ETJ Subdivisions in ETJ must be approved by Land Use Commission and Travis County Commissioners Court

11. Site Plans Commercial and Multi-family Development Detailed, engineered plan for construction of a site Building size and location Parking and driveways Landscaping Tree and natural area protection Utilities Grading, drainage and water quality

12. Site Plan Approval Mostly administrative Non-discretionary Some require Land Use Commission approval Conditional use permits Hill County Roadways Discretionary within limits specified in Code

13. Building Plans and Permits Architectural plans of buildings Compliance with technical codes: Building Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Fire Energy

14. Building Permit Approval Administrative Non-discretionary

15. Inspections Environmental Inspections Subdivision Inspections Building Inspections Certificate of Occupancy

16. Participating Departments Planning & Development Review Austin Energy Austin Water Utility Code Compliance Economic Development Fire Law Neighborhood Housing & Community Develop. Real Estate Services Parks & Recreation Public Works Transportation Watershed Protection

17. What Rules Apply? Base Zoning District Conditional Overlay Overlay District Planned Development Area (PDA) Restrictive Covenant Combining District Neighborhood Plan Compatibility Standards Hill Country Roadway Corridor Commercial and Residential Design Standards

18. Process to Revise Austin’s Land Development Code Austin Neighborhoods Council 8/20/2013 George Adams, Assistant Director George Zapalac, Division Manager Matt Dugan, Development Services Process Coordinator Darrick Nicholas, Public Information Specialist Carol Gibbs, Neighborhood Advisor A priority program of

19. Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan Community Values Guide for managing change Reference for decision making Direction for more detailed city plans, investments, initiatives, etc. City’s “To-Do”list Benchmarking, tracking, updating

20. Realizing the Plan—Priority Programs Compact & Connected Sustainable Water Workforce & Education Green Infrastructure Creative Economy Household Affordability Healthy Austin Development Regulations

21. Implementing Imagine Austin Community Engagement Internal Alignment Regulations Public Investment Partnerships

22. Imagine Austin’s LDC Revision Goals Priority Program #8 Revise Austin’s development regulations and processes to promote a compact and connected city. Complete neighborhoods and expanded housing choices Neighborhood protection Household affordability Environmental protection Efficient service delivery Clear guidance and user-friendly

23. It’s Time to Revise the LDC when… Last comprehensive revision in 1984 181proposed amendments since 2005 Over 60 zoning districts Multiple overlay districts on a single property Multiple duplicative & conflicting requirements Development process is complex and difficult to understand It’s not user-friendly

24. Regulations relating to… Procedures for review & approval Zoning Subdivisions Site Plans Drainage Transportation Environment Signs On the Table for Reconsideration

25. City Council Planning Commission Advisory Group Staff Consultant Team Code Revision Core Team

26. Advisory Group Purpose: Assist with public outreach Provide feedback on development and implementation of a revised code Meets regularly throughout process Advisory Group members: Chris BradfordMelissa Neslund Mandy De MayoStephen Oliver Stephen DelgadoBrian Reis Jim DuncanBeverly Silas Will HerringDave Sullivan Jeff Jack

27. Staff & Consultant Resources Opticos Design – Lead consultant Fregonese Assoc. Peter J. Park McCann Adams Cultural Strategies Group Solutions Lisa Wise Consulting RCLCO ECONorthwest Taniguchi Architects Kimley Horn McGuireWoods Urban Design Group

28. Code Revision—Four Steps Listening & Understanding Diagnosis & Outline Preliminary Draft Code Code Adoption 1234

29. Listening and Understanding Step 1 Conduct listening sessions – What works, what doesn’t work, identification of critical issues & divisive topics Code Diagnosis & Outline Step 2 Prepare draft diagnosis (what’s left alone, what’s to be revised, and what to explore further) and annotated outline (summary organization of the revised codes) Prelim review by Advisory Group, staff, public and Boards and Commissions Planning Commission recommends and City Council approves diagnosis and outline

30. Preliminary Draft Code Based on annotated outline Conduct workshops on draft sections of the code Develop roll-out process for mapping Broad events to allow public to explore and comment on code Review by Advisory Group, staff, public and Boards and Commissions Code Adoption Public hearing Planning Commission recommends and City Council approves diagnosis and outline Step 3 Step 4

31. 2013 2014 2015 STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 2016 JUL 2013- JAN 2014 LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING JUL 2013-JUL 2014 CODE DIAGNOSIS & DRAFT CODE OUTLINE AUG 2014- SEPT 2015 CODE DEVELOPMENT OCT 2015- JUNE 2016 CODE ADOPTION Timeline: LDC Revision

32. Summary of Process Austin’s land development regulations and process need a holistic review Imagine Austin provides a clear, community-based vision Consultant team authors work products Iterative, step-by-step process and community review Planning Commission recommendations and City Council approvals throughout process

33. What Does Success Look Like? On time and within budget Open to all Engaging people who use the code Respectful and fair Informative and educational Focus on common ground Avoid assumptions Not letting perfection get in the way of improvement A clear, predictable, user-friendly code that implements

34. Contacts Austin Neighborhoods Council Carol Lee, President president@ancweb.org Mary Ingle, 1st Vice President vp1@ancweb.org Joyce Basciano, 2nd Vice President vp2@ancweb.org Planning and Development Review Department George Adams, Assistant Director 512-974-2146george.adams@austintexas.gov George Zapalac, Division Manager 512-974-2725george.zapalac@austintexas.gov Matt Dugan, Development Services Process Coordinator512-974-7665matthew.dugan@austintexas.gov Darrick Nicholas, PIO Specialist 512-974-1236darrick.nicholas@austintexas.gov Carol Gibbs, Neighborhood Advisor 512-974-7219carol.gibbs@austintexas.gov

35. Upcoming Events Listening Sessions: Week of September 23 rd Imagine Austin Speaker Series: Development review processes, week of October 14 th www.austintexas.gov/newLDC

36. Land Development Code Public Engagement Framework

37. Approach: Principles 1.Outlines the City of Austin’s public participation principles: (accountability and transparency) (fairness and respect) (accessibility) (predictability and consistency) (creativity and community collaboration) (responsible stewardship) 2.Outlines the philosophy and guiding principles that will inform the approach to public engagement. 3.Highlights key principles, such as: Inclusion Transparency Openness to learning Multiculturalism

38. Public Engagement Framework Strategies Methods (used to implement the engagement strategies will be designed to integrate the guiding principles of engagement) In-depth interviews (to understand perceptions and attitudes for effective messaging and communication) Stakeholder interviews (to understand detailed issues, concerns with, and possible approaches to the new code) Listening sessions (with the general public to understand likes and concerns about specific places and gather feedback on the public engagement plan) Small-group meetings (with existing and new stakeholder groups to gather input on what they value and are concerned about on both specific places and related to the code itself) Educational speaker sessions (to foster more in-depth learning and discussion about hot topics related to the land development code) Ambassador program (to engage leaders from traditionally underrepresented communities to foster greater involvement in those communities) Booths and presentations (at neighborhood and community events and presentations at existing meetings of community organizations)

39. Public Engagement Framework Strategies Tools and Platforms (to inform and engage the community about the project) Website (including online engagement platform, surveys, etc.) Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Vine) Traditional media (including news releases, press conferences, media interviews and public service announcements) Toolkit to support ambassadors Newsletters Channel 6