The Austin City Council recently passed phase one of an initiative called HOME, or Home Options for Middle-Income Empowerment, which will soon allow residents to build up to three housing units on some single-family lots, reports the Austin American-Statesman. The initiative, which was spearheaded by District 7 council member Leslie Pool, is aimed at creating more and different kinds of housing options in a city that has long been one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.
What does the HOME initiative do?
Here are the main changes HOME Phase 1 makes:
- Allowing up to three dwelling units on a single-family 1, 2, and 3 zones.
- Creating three-unit residential use and applying it to applicable zones.
- Easing restrictions on the construction of tiny homes.
Pool told the American-Statesman in the days prior to the vote that deed restrictions and homeowners associations' rules supersede city zoning, and that will continue to be the case under HOME.
The ordinance passed Thursday included preservation and sustainability bonuses along with regulations on the size and scale of new developments.
Other land development code amendments, which are not specifically part of HOME, were passed Thursday, including the elimination of restrictions on the number of unrelated adults living in a housing unit.
Read More
