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WTF is Austin’s CodeNext and Why the ‘Eff Should I Care?

Jude Galligan | August 18, 2016 |

[UPDATE January 30, 2017: Link to first official draft of CodeNEXT]

You’ve likely stumbled across the phrase “CodeNext” somewhere on the interwebs, figured it was another facacta Austin planning scheme, and so you just jumped back to reading Deadspin.

CodeNext (single word) is the multi-year effort to redevelop Austin’s Land Development Code, also called the LDC.  In theory, the LDC codifies what can be built, where it can be built, and how it must be built.

Austin City Limits

The CodeNext project is massive, and not without controversy.  It’s fair to point out the project has drawn fire from the community for getting off track and over budget (a latter point the city flatly refutes).

The planning stages are almost complete, and a draft will be released to the public in January.  God only knows what will come after the release, given the myriad of special interests that have a stake in shaping what parts of the draft would stay or go.  But, we’ll deal with that in 2017.

Monthly CodeNext meetings are held each month through October, with the next being August 22nd.  They are quite lengthy and to that end can be viewed online.  You can also request a presentation from the city here.

Existing Context

Aint nobody got time, Jude, why the ‘eff should I care about CodeNext?

The city has devoted an entire web page to that question, but in very simplistic real estate terms, this effort had the potential to improve the ease, speed, cost and consistency of new development and redevelopment in Austin.

As a result, CodeNext will directly affect your life in three key areas:

  • housing affordability
  • transportation
  • the “look & feel” of the city

In the most literal sense, you will see and feel the results of CodeNext as you go about your future life in Austin.

More subjectively, you should care because one day you may own property.  On that day you will realize you’ve morphed into a gray-haired republican, realize that property taxes are a bitch, you’ll hate that the big government tells you what you can/can’t do with your own damn property, and that Reagan had some not-so-bad ideas about small government.  OR, you’re one of those perpetual renters (media calls you “Millennials”) who can only afford to live 13 gridlocked miles from downtown Austin, and you’re rightfully indignant observing all the undeveloped land in Central Austin where density is blocked by zoning in Dixiecrat fashion.

Zoning word jumble

So, what does the LDC look like?

Well, the city has laid different zoning types here in a fairly simple manner.  They’ve also summarized various zoning classifications in a “simple” to read 100 page pdf here.  If you’re a glutton for punishment you can wade through the current LDC here.

I wanted to try to explain it in the context of why this effort is underway.

  1. The laws passed by City Council are inked in the “Code of Ordinances” also known as “city code.” These are the laws of the land in the city limits. For example, the law that you can’t text and drive is written into the “city code”. (§ 12-1-34 to be exact. The symbol “§” is a character often used to refer to a particular section of the law.)
  2. The city code is organized by 30 “Titles” of which Title 25 is Land Development Code, or LDC, which regulates development within the city’s planning and zoning jurisdiction.

Follow me so far?  Good because here is where it gets messy.

  1. The basic structure of the existing LDC has four major structural levels below Title, which are: Chapter (such as § 25-1);  Article (such as § 25-1-1); and finally Section (such as § 25-1-1(a)).
  2. This organizational structure has been amended over the past 30 years with additional layers added, such as: “Division”, “Sub-chapter”, and “Subpart”. While these new layers have been added, the methodology for numbering the layers for ease of referencing has not been updated, making the numbering system ineffective at allowing a user to understand where in the hierarchy of the LDC the reference exists. Hence the shifting labyrinth depending on who you’re talking to.

Moreover, Austin has 39 base districts described in the Land Development Code that “zone” parts of town for development. For example, they might be zoned “SF-1” for “single family – large lot” or SF-6 for “townhouse or condominium”. However, when you add all the layers that can be overlaid on top of the base zones, you end up with almost 400 possible different combinations!

Revamping the LDC is essential because navigating Austin’s code is like walking through a labyrinth, and depending on who you speak with in which city department and how they interpret one piece of code versus another conflicting piece, the labyrinth is always shifting.  Not good.

Screen Shot 2016-08-15 at 8.41.41 PM

Summary

Austin seems to do more planning than actually doing.  At times, keeping up with all the planning efforts can be demoralizing, when most of us simply want pragmatic and moral leadership at City Hall.  Truthfully, the point of this post was so that I could answer: “why I should care about CodeNext?”  If you live in Austin, then CodeNext will touch something in your life… where you live, where you work, what that building looks like, and how you get there.

Whatever is adopted will certainly be better than the labyrinth of laws and plans that citizens of Austin currently must navigate in order to comply.  Hopefully, the next time you see “CodeNext” it won’t be a nebulous city process, and instead, you’ll understand why people are passionate about it when the draft is released this coming January.

~Jude

Filed Under: around town

The Other Downtown Austin

Jude Galligan | May 28, 2015 |

It’s an exciting time to live in and be involved with Downtown Austin.  Major developments being announced, and construction commencing pretty regularly.  Population and commerce increasing exponentially each year.  More places to eat.  More feet on the street. More energy.  Austin, and downtown Austin specifically, garners a lot of local, regional, and even national attention… well, most of downtown gets attention.

See, there’s this “other” downtown.  A hidden-in-plain-sight curiosity.

Let me preface the point.  Take look at a map of downtown Austin.  Visualize downtown as four quadrants, with axes along 6th Street and Congress Avenue.

First, the southeastern quadrant of downtown is home to the monumental Waller Creek redevelopment, has fortunate proximity to most downtown and East Side venues, quick access to the Hike & Bike Trail, several exciting and new hotel developments, including the The Fairmont and the Hotel Van Zandt, and an array of existing and proposed apartment and condo developments.  70 Rainey, for example.

Second, the southwestern quadrant, the media darling of downtown Austin, with heavy economic investment, has a rich mix of residential, office, and recreational uses, and seems to be constantly boasting some sort of development activity.  Major, sexy condo tower projects like the Seaholm, the Greenwater Treatment redevelopment, and the newly announced Independent have put the area on the forefront of media coverage.  Substantial office projects like the recently completed Colorado Tower and the under-construction office tower at 5th and Colorado are also making news.

Third, the northeastern quadrant is bubbling as an “Innovation Zone” – with developments bringing new life to the medical and tech industries, as well as activity related to our state Capitol.  Very recently, Foundation Communities opened it’s affordable housing development: Capital Studios.  This area is also filled, FILLED!!, with blighted parking garages.  Fortunately, Texas State Capitol complex has started getting some attention in recent years.

And, now we’ve arrived at the subject of this post.

Fourth, and finally, the “other” downtown.  The oft overlooked top left corner of downtown.  The tranquil, lush, historically quaint, attorney office dense, northwestern quadrant of downtown!  (Bookmark this: OANA’s terrific historic online tour, block by block)

Chateau Bellevue / The Austin Woman’s Club Exterior – a true gem of downtwon Austin
Privacy Trees around Chateau Bellevue / The Austin Woman’s Club Exterior – a true gem of downtwon Austin
A typical house / office in the northwest corner of downtown Austin
A typical house / office in the northwest corner of downtown Austin
the streets are adorned with lush, green trees
the streets are adorned with lush, green trees
the view of the downtown skyline from West Avenue

We simply don’t hear much from this neck of the woods, even though it’s among the most peaceful and pleasant places to live in downtown, with plentiful tree canopy, open parks, myriad law offices, Shoal Creek, ACC, and tasteful restorations.

It’s also some of the most expensive residential property in the City.  Most of the residential in this area is comprised of single family homes, like this, and this, and this one.  Many of these homes have become office uses, generally of the law firm or other office-practice variety (although some other fun stuff is starting to pop up!).

Austin Panic Room
The Austin Panic Room, a fun new concept that just opened in NW downtown Austin.

The reason we don’t hear of these big, shiny, fabulous, skyline changing developments?  Zoning.  It’s as simple (and as complicated) as that.

For better or worse, many of the lots in the northwest part of downtown Austin simply aren’t zoned for high-rises.  It’s no simple task to get an area that’s this passionate with historic sentiment and neighborhood protections to simply approve mass zoning changes willy-nilly.  Some of the City’s most prime and walkable downtown real estate is almost completely untapped as far as density goes, with most lots being inhabited with one-story or two-story Victorian style homes.  To be clear, we like it this way, too!

There are a few dense developments in northwest downtown, like the newly constructed apartment tower, Seven.  And, Aspen Heights is under construction.  So are the Celia’s Court at 908 Nueces. Also notable, are Westgate and Cambridge Towers, which are along major boulevards.  Typically, in this part of downtown, we expect to see mid-rise developments like 904 West, Park West Condos, and the Nokonah, along with a handful of off-the-radar apartment communities, like the Nueces Flats.

904 West Condos
a small, older condo complex called 706 Condos
The Park West Condos in Judges Hill
Westgate
The brand new Seven apartments
The Penthouse Condos
Construction for the new Aspen Heights Apartments and 8th and Nueces
Nokonah exterior
The Nueces Flats Apartments
Cambridge Towers

You can be on W 6th Street at midnight, then walk stumble 2-3 blocks north along Nueces and it feels like a different, quieter, world.

No doubt we will continue to read headlines about downtown Austin.  Along the way, it will be interesting to observe how the “other” downtown Austin remains relatively media mute.  Maybe it’s better that way.

-Jude

Filed Under: around town, austin condos, austin neighborhoods

Two Rainey District Towers Getting New Restaurant Concepts

AG | May 18, 2015 |

There’s always tons of activity in the downtown Austin restaurant scene, but we’re particularly excited about new restaurants in the Rainey Street District since this area of downtown is changing and maturing more quickly than other parts of downtown.

With the residential that already exists in the district, and more coming online like Millennium Rainey Apartments, 70 Rainey, and the proposed Waller Park Place, expanded commercial options for this downtown Austin area were imminent, and we’re now seeing day spas, salons, a dry cleaner (!), and more eating options pop up in Rainey.

Skyhouse Apartments is filling a corner on the ground floor with a fun looking concept called Emmer and Rye. We’ve reached out, but don’t know a ton about it (there appears to have been a restaurant in Seattle with the same name that closed a couple years back, but we’re unsure if it’s related).  The only online marketing they seem to currently have is their Instagram account.  We did find some great renderings online from their architect, Kevin Stewart, though:

Additionally, the Hotel Van Zandt, a boutique hotel concept opening right next to The Shore Condos this summer, is opening a very smartly named Geraldine’s restaurant concept, which will boast undoubtedly stunning lake views as well as good food and fun.

Check out their website (it’s just a landing page, right now) here, and sign up for updates.

Also, check out updated Hotel Van Zandt interior renderings at the Austin Business Journal.

geraldines-austin

These concepts will join existing Rainey dining options No Va, El Naranjo, G’raj Mahal, Bangers, Javelina, Salvation Pizza, and Royal Blue Grocery.

Filed Under: around town, austin apartments, austin lifestyle, downtown austin, Rainey Street District

Things to do in Downtown Austin – Austin Panic Room

AG | May 7, 2015 |

Are you itching for something a little different – a little outside of the normal weekend routine of brunch, shopping, frisbee golf in Zilker, etc?

Well, have I got a recommendation for you – Austin Panic Room.

It’s one of the funnest group activities that I’ve done in a very long time, and they have recently relocated from East Austin into downtown Austin at 1205 Rio Grande, near ACC and Pease Elementary.

Here’s the scoop:  Austin Panic Room is basically just a big puzzle you solve with your friends (and maybe some strangers) in about an hour.

[Read more…] about Things to do in Downtown Austin – Austin Panic Room

Filed Under: around town, austin art, austin lifestyle, austin neighborhoods, austin recreation, austin small business, downtown austin

5 things Amazon Will deliver to Downtown Austin in 1 hour

AG | April 9, 2015 |

Delivery and in-home services in Downtown Austin are getting ridiculous in the most amazing way.  New ideations of these delivery services just… keep… appearing.

And now a giant has arrived in the marketplace. You can now get 1 HOUR DELIVERY of everyday items to your downtown Austin condo or office, through the new Amazon Prime Now App.

You do have to be a member of Amazon Prime, and you have to download the app onto your phone.

Choose your item from the options on the app.  Choose whether you want 1-hour delivery ($7.99/order) or 2-hour delivery at no additional charge.  $15 minimum.  Also, you should probably tip, though they say it isn’t required, but I’m guessing it’s expected by your delivery guy.

Here are five types of items that you can have Amazon deliver to you in 1 hour:

Amazon-Prime-Now

 

1. Nyquil (or other medicines).  Say you are siiiiick and Royal Blue Grocery is a couple of blocks too far away.  Well, heave a courier get you some NyQuil and throw in some Kleenex to hit your minimum.

 

2.  In the midst of a home project and covered in paint or grime?  Order your painter’s tape, picture hooks, and hammer right from your home.

 

3. Throwing a party and forgot some things?  Have an Amazon courier bring over your plates, cups, and napkins (and a couple of snacks) while you prepare for your guests.

 

4. Out of pet food but don’t want to get in downtown rush-hour traffic?  You guessed it, an Amazon courier will bring Fido or Kitty some food and treats.

 

5. A laptop.  Because why not?

Amazon-Prime-Now-downtown-austin-17

 

Filed Under: around town

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