Two separate groups of city council members have released statements in the lead up to the release of CodeNEXT V.3. Together, these six council members and Mayor Adler unequivocally call for a new land use code. Although they certainly may each disagree on various details in that code, should they continue to feel that the existing land development code must be replaced, the votes are lined up to pass CodeNEXT in some form this spring.
Council members Casar (District 4), Renteria (D3), Garza (D2), and Flannigan (D6) comprise the For All Austinites coalition. They published a short declarationthat emphasized the negative nature of the current code, including the ways it continues segregation-era mistakes. The group stresses that piecemeal restructuring is incapable of (fixing the code), insisting on a complete overhaul under the geographically representative 10-1 system.
Mayor Steve Adler, along with council members Kitchen (D5) and Alter (D10), also assert that “it has become clear that we cannot allow the current, unwieldy Code to remain in place.” Their key goals are the development and preservation of affordable housing and enabling of accessible mass transit while respecting neighborhood identity, intentionally protecting the environment, and supporting small, local businesses.
Together, these seven members of city council are clear in their support for a new code. However – the draft which will be released at 5pm today– will go through additional public discussion and editing at several city commissions, as well as on the Dias. We have at least a month to continue improving this code, but it now seems likely to pass.
We will continue in our Growing Weirder Breakfast Series to discuss regional growth policy options – including some of the details that still could be improved in CodeNEXT. Join us this Friday, Feb 16, for a discussion of environmental sustainability, and Friday, March 2, for the big picture of regional growth.
[Image Credit: Bobby Bradley, Flickr, Some rights reserved]