CodeNEXT leaves Austinites confused
By Ingrid Garcia, Orion Lewis and Taylor M. Smith
AUSTIN–Even though Austin’s long debated revision of the city code took another step forward, anyone dealing with it has been mired in confusion over the 1,300 page rewrite called CodeNEXT, which can potentially lay the foundation for the next three decades in Austin.
It is the first time in over 30 years that the City of Austin has undergone a rewrite of the land development code.
A CodeNEXT Public Information Officer, Alina Carnahan, said that the goal of this project is to move the needle on housing affordability, transportation, the environment, and other goals of the Imagine Austin plan. The Imagine Austin Plan is a vision-based framework for how the city can grow and stay connected.
Austin is ranked №8 on Forbes’ 2018 America’s Fastest Growing Cities list. Because of the consistent growth occurring in Austin, changes are being proposed to accommodate the increase in population.
In a field that requires knowledge on city and land development codes, architect Tyler Stowell, of STG Design in Austin, gave his expertise on CodeNEXT and the city’s current code.
“Our current code is extremely confusing,” Stowell said.
The current code has several regulations that require outside documents to reference the regulations in the code. CodeNEXT regulations are actually less complex than the current code with all of the information in one document, Stowell said.
Residents and critics complain about issues such as gentrification, expensive land, and lack of affordable housing in Austin. Spokesperson for Community Not Commodity, an anti-CodeNEXT group, Fred McGhee, said the local real estate industry thinks CodeNEXT does not do enough to encourage construction of high-density housing.
“The real estate industry has always hated Austin’s local environmental regulations.” McGhee said. “They lower the city’s flood risk, keep pollutants out of our waterways, and preserve open parkland — but they also reduce the amount of land that can be built upon within city limits, and that hurts land developers’ profits.”
CodeNEXT reporter for the Austin Chronicle, Sarah Marloff, said city council is trying to get affordable housing while preserving neighborhoods and keeping family households.
“If we continue to do nothing, we know that we will continue to drive people out [of Austin],” said Tina Grider-Cannon, vice president of Government Relations for the Austin Chamber of Commerce, which is a member of the Evolve Austin coalition. Evolve Austin is a non-profit that unites civic-minded organizations.
“Of course, this project alone cannot solve the issues facing Austin, but we can move the city in the right direction.” said Carnahan.
The proposed land development code is a technical legal document that many people do not consult unless they are making a renovation on their home, Carnahan said.
Austinities can’t come to an agreement even though this 30-year plan claims to make housing in affordable, accessible, and inclusive to residents.
“[CodeNEXT is] a really complicated process and I think that it could become really divisive because everyone has taken really strong sides,” said Sarah Marloff, CodeNEXT reporter for The Austin Chronicle.
“I think it will provide more design alternatives for people who want to improve their property,” said University of Texas at Austin civil, architectural & environmental engineering professor Kara Kockelman.
CodeNEXT provides graphics and maps hoping to break down the legal jargon that is keeping Austinites from understanding the dense project.
Despite the confusion of this mass proposal, it is moving forward. Austin City Manager, Spencer Cronk, will convene a group of design and development professionals and technical experts to review and test regulations proposed in CodeNEXT.
Ingrid Garcia is a third year journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. You can follow her on Twitter @itsingridg.
Orion Lewis is a junior journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. You can follow him on Twitter @olewwposts.
Taylor M. Smith is a fourth year journalism major and African and African Diaspora Studies minor at The University of Texas at Austin. You can follow her on Twitter @TaylorMSmith02 or connect with her on LinkedIn; www.linkedin.com/in/taylormsmith02
