[amc] Fw: Cluster: An important housing update from Heather Way
- From: Craig Headley <craigheadley@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Austin Mennonite <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:18:50 -0700 (PDT)
--- On Tue, 6/22/10, Susan Morris <danasusanmorris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Susan Morris <danasusanmorris@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Cluster: An important housing update from Heather Way
To:
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 11:56 AM
Subject: Re: Important tool to address homeless issues is at risk
June 24th, 2pm: Important $6 million City Council vote impacting affordable
housing and homeless needs downtown
On June 24th, the City Council is voting on another request by a downtown
developer to bypass the city’s downtown affordable housing density bonus
ordinance. If the Council approves the developer’s request, this would mean a
loss of up to $6 million in community benefits for downtown: as a community we
stand to lose $3 million for affordable housing, and another $3 million
for other community benefits such as child care and assistance for the
homeless.
Background: Our City’s downtown affordable housing density bonus ordinance is
an important tool to help address the needs of the homeless and low-income
workers downtown. The ordinance is modeled on similar ordinances around the
country. This ordinance requires that downtown developments seeking certain
increases in building height must either include onsite affordable housing or
contribute a fee in lieu of the onsite housing.
The developers of the former Las Manitas and Escuelita site, at 209 Congress
Avenue, are asking to double the density of the site (which already allows for
a skyscraper) to build an enormous hotel. The current “CBD” zoning allows for
a 8:1 FAR. The developer is asking council to double the density on the site to
16:1 FAR, for a density bonus of approximately 607,328
square feet—an enormous increase and financial bonus to the developer. Under
the city’s affordable housing incentives downtown ordinance (Section 25-2-586
of the City Code), developers are required to reimburse the city for part of
the economic benefit from density bonuses, by paying a $10 fee in lieu—or in
the case of the 209 Congress Avenue development, $6 million. Half of the fee in
lieu goes to providing critical affordable housing and the other half for other
community benefits such as child care and services to the homeless. In the 209
Congress Avenue case, the developers are asking for a special exception from
Council by asking for CURE zoning -- a 100% exemption from the $6m fee, and the
production of ZERO affordable housing.
This case is up for a hearing this Thursday, 2pm, at City Council, as items 125
and 126 on the agenda.
Action:
Please contact Council this week. Please forward to those you know who are
concerned about affordable housing and addressing the needs of the homeless and
low-income workers in downtown Austin.
If we care about about serving the homeless and others in need of affordable
housing in our community, we need to speak up to our elected officials and ask
them to stop granting special exemptions to developments. Let’s use the tools
we have on the books now to start addressing this critical issue.
Information on the zoning case is available here:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council_meetings/item_attachments.cfm?meetingid=214&itemid=13199&item=125
A copy of the City’s downtown density bonus ordinance is available here + is
listed below:
http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Texas/austin/thecodeofthecityofaustintexas?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:austin_tx$anc=
§ 25-2-586 AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCENTIVES IN A CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (CBD)
OR DOWNTOWN MIXED USE (DMU) ZONING DISTRICT.
(C) Development on a site may exceed the floor- area-ratio limitation of
Section 25-2-492 (Site Development Regulations) and, in a DMU district may
exceed the maximum height of the district as determined by the City Council, if
the developer:
(1) participates in the City’s Great Streets Program;
(2) substantially complies with the City’s Design Guidelines, as
determined by the Design Commission; and
(3) provides affordable housing or community benefits by:
(a) providing affordable housing in ten percent or more of
the gross floor area that exceeds the floor- area-ratio limitation;
or
(b) for a residential use, paying into the Housing
Assistance Fund 100 percent of the fee prescribed by Subsection (I) for each
square foot of gross floor area that exceeds the floor-area-ratio limitation; or
(c) for a commercial or mixed use:
(i) paying into the Housing Assistance Fund 50 percent
of the fee prescribed by Subsection (I) for each square foot of gross floor
area that exceeds the floor- area-ratio limitation;
and
(ii) paying into the Community Benefits Fund 50 percent
of the fee prescribed by Subsection (I) for each square foot of gross floor
area that exceeds the floor- area-ratio limitation.
(G) The Community Benefits Fund is created. The director of the
Neighborhood Planning and Zoning Department may allocate money from the fund
collected under Subsection (C) or (D) for programs in the designated housing
area that serve one or more of the following purposes:
(1) ****
(12) assistance for the homeless.
Susan Morris
Fund Administrator
Religious Coalition to Assist the Homeless
Director
Downtown Cluster of Congregations
and Social Service Agencies
512-750-0558 (c)
512-494-4031 (o)
Downtown churches and social service agencies joining together to improve the
quality of life of the poor, the addicted, the mentally ill, the abused, the
sick and the homeless who are our neighbors.
www.austindowntowncluster.org
A proud member of Austin Community Foundation's family of funds.
http://austincommunityfoundation.org
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