SubChapter E. DESIGN STANDARDS AND MIXED USE.  

Editor's note:

Background: On February 26, 2004, the Austin City Council directed the City Manager by resolution "… to prepare recommendations for citywide design standards for commercial and retail development. These recommended citywide design standards shall constitute the best practices of the standards adopted by communities around the nation and shall require design standards that reflect Austin's unique historic, landscape and architectural character…"

In order to implement the Council's direction, a specially appointed Task Force met over several months to consider research and input from the public, various stakeholder groups, and individuals. The Task Force sought to understand the preferences of Austin citizens and the design regulations of other cities prior to developing a recommendation.

The Task Force produced, and in May 2005 the City Council adopted, a policy report entitled "Raising the Design Standards in Austin, Texas." The Task Force report identified a number of areas where regulatory improvements are necessary in order to raise the bar of development quality in Austin. The general intent was to develop regulations that will foster a built environment of aesthetic and sustainable value, enhance economic development efforts, promote Austin's unique character and natural environment, and ensure an efficient development review process.

The proposals for new standards were intended to raise the level of quality for all non-residential and mixed-use development, but within a regulatory structure offering options and flexibility, not strict requirements. New development would be subject to a set of minimum site and building design standards, recognizing that all new development, regardless of size, should be subject to minimum standards. The following topics were addressed in the Task Force report: Development orientation; Parking; Land use; Signs; Stormwater management; Connectivity; Exterior lighting; Screening and compatibility; and Building design.

In each of these topic areas, the Task Force report discussed the key issue generally and proposed regulatory language to address the issue. In a few areas, specific ordinance language was proposed, but in most areas the proposed language recommended general approaches rather than actual ordinance language. In some areas, the proposed new standards would be new for Austin, while in other areas the proposed standards would require amendments to the Austin Code.

This Subchapter is intended to implement the Task Force report by establishing a clear, user-friendly, and legally enforceable ordinance that will result in improved development quality in Austin. This Subchapter is officially known as Subchapter E of Chapter 25-2 of the City Code. This Subchapter was adopted on August 31, 2006, and will become effective on January 13, 2007. The Task Force recommends reviewing this Subchapter once it has been in place for one year.

How to use this Subchapter:

Applicability is Based on Adjacent Roadway and Type of Development: This Subchapter recognizes that development should reflect and respond to its location within the city. For example, a commercial development in a suburban location can (and often should) look and function differently than a commercial development in downtown Austin. Because roadways provide both access to a site and define the urban design framework of the city, roadway types have been used as an organizing tool to establish many of the new development standards in this Subchapter. This approach is intended to help ensure a cohesive development pattern along Austin's streets and remove some of the inconsistency that arises from having a variety of zoning districts fronting a single roadway.

Because many of the standards in this Subchapter are defined based on roadway type(s) near the property, an important first step in the development process is to determine the roadway types that are adjacent to a site. The size of the site and the type of development (residential, commercial, mixed use, etc.) also need to be considered, since different standards may apply. The applicability chart in Article 1 summarizes the applicability of all the standards in this Subchapter, based on type of adjacent roadways and development activity.

The following different types of roadways are identified in this Subchapter:

Core Transit Corridors include roadways that have or will have a sufficient population density, mix of uses, and transit facilities to encourage and support transit use. Existing Core Transit Corridors have been designated and are defined in Article 5 and shown on Figure 1. Examples include South Congress Avenue (north of Stassney Lane) and Anderson Lane (between Burnet Road and Mopac). Additional Core Transit Corridors may be designated in the future through neighborhood planning processes.

Hill Country Roadways are those roadways identified in Section 25-2-1103, such as RM 2222 and Southwest Parkway. Standards in this Subchapter that reference the Hill County Roadway designation apply to all properties within 1000 feet of these roadways.

Highways include all freeways, parkways, expressways, and frontage roads identified in the Austin Area Metropolitan Transportation Plan, except for Core Transit Corridors.

Internal Circulation Routes are public streets or private drives edged by a curb within a development.

Suburban Roadways are roads outside the Urban Roadway Boundary, defined below and shown on Figure 2, that are not Core Transit, Hill Country, or Highway Roadways.

Urban Roadways are roads other than those designated as Core Transit Corridors and Highways located within the following boundaries, as shown on Figure 2:

183 from Burnet to Hwy 71

Hwy 71 from 183 to Loop 1

Loop 1 from Hwy 71 to Lake Austin

Lake Austin from Loop 1 to Exposition

Exposition from Lake Austin to 35th

35th from Exposition to Loop 1

Loop 1 from 38th to RM 2222

RM 2222 from Loop 1 to Mesa

Mesa from RM 2222 to Spicewood Springs Road

Spicewood Springs Road from Mesa to 360

360 from Spicewood Springs Road to Great Hills Trail

Great Hills Trail from 360 to 183

183 from Great Hills Trail to Braker

Braker from 183 to Burnet

Burnet from Braker to 183

Figure 1: Core Transit Corridors (CTC) and Future Core Transit Corridors Map (May 10, 2010)

Figure 2: Urban/Suburban Roadways Map

How this Subchapter is organized:

This Subchapter is divided into five Articles.

Article 1 includes General Provisions that should be reviewed for all development and redevelopment projects. Most importantly, a chart summarizes the applicability of the various standards based on roadway types and development types.

To allow flexibility in administering this Subchapter, this Article includes a "minor modification" provision that allows for City staff to approve small deviations from otherwise applicable standards in order to protect natural or historic features or to address unique site conditions.

The Article also encourages creativity and innovative design by allowing an applicant to propose an alternative approach to meeting the standards of the Subchapter through the "alternative equivalent compliance" provision.

Article 2 includes Site Development Standards intended to ensure that buildings relate appropriately to surrounding developments and streets, promote efficient pedestrian and vehicle circulation, and provide adequate parking in safe and appropriate locations, while creating a unique and identifiable image for development in Austin. In particular, standards in this Article address the following:

Relationship of buildings to streets and walkways (based on roadway type);

Connectivity (based on roadway type);

Parking reductions;

Exterior lighting;

Screening of equipment and utilities; and

Private common open space and pedestrian amenities.

Article 3 includes Building Design Standards intended to address the physical appearance of buildings subject to this Subchapter. Included are:

General requirements for glazing and shading to ensure that building facades are pedestrian-friendly; and

Additional options to improve building design. An applicant may choose which of these options to meet from a flexible, point-based menu. All buildings subject to this section must reach a minimum number of points, with additional points required for certain building types (e.g., buildings with trademarked design features, large buildings or long facades, and buildings using a large percentage of certain building materials.)

Article 4 includes standards and incentives for Mixed Use development. This Article includes descriptions and standards for the Mixed Use Combining District and the Vertical Mixed Use Overlay District. This Article also includes standards and incentives for the development of Vertical Mixed Use (VMU) buildings.

Article 5 includes Definitions for terms used in this Subchapter.