CodeNEXT: Increased Scale Near Activity Centers & Corridors?

1

FANs interested in CodeNEXT met Saturday, August 12 to discuss recommendations that FAN could make to City Council, Planning Commission, Zoning and Platting Commission (ZAP), staff, and consultants. In the near future, FAN members will have an opportunity to vote on whether to support each possible recommendation. In keeping with FAN’s openness, transparency, and use of technology to include more people in the conversation, we are inviting discussion here on the forum about each recommendation before it is put to a vote.

1. What do you think of this recommendation?
2. What would you change, if anything?
3. What do you think of the rationale?
4. Do you have specific examples from staff’s existing CodeNEXT proposals that you believe must change to satisfy this recommendation?

RECOMMENDATION 2

Increase the allowable scale (e.g. heights) of buildings within ½ mile (instead of ¼ mile) of Imagine Austin activity centers and corridors.

Rationale

  • The Federal Transit Administration uses densities within ½ mile of transit corridors to determine whether to provide matching funds for transit projects.
  • The original complete communities indicators in Imagine Austin use ½ mile as the threshold to determine whether neighbors have access to daily needs such as transit, shopping, groceries, parks and open spaces, medical services, schools, cultural venues, libraries and community centers.
  • Capital Metro’s documented service standards list employment and residential densities as the top criteria determining level of transit service.
2 Likes
2

Just want to say this one should be 1000% yes and glad to see it.

4 Likes
3

How about inside and near? Some areas inside get a free pass in V1 which makes it hard to make the equitable distribution argument .

4

We plan on putting these recommendations to a vote starting sometime tomorrow. If you have any further specific recommendations for wording changes or examples that can be used in the “rationale” section such as links to specific research or articles, please let post here sometime today! I’ve included what I believe to be the latest wording for this recommendation below based on what everyone has said here, but if I missed something, please let us know.

RECOMMENDATION 2

Increase the allowable scale (e.g. heights) of buildings within ½ mile (instead of ¼ mile) of Imagine Austin activity centers and corridors.

Rationale

  • The Federal Transit Administration uses densities within ½ mile of transit corridors to determine whether to provide matching funds for transit projects.
  • The original complete communities indicators in Imagine Austin use ½ mile as the threshold to determine whether neighbors have access to daily needs such as transit, shopping, groceries, parks and open spaces, medical services, schools, cultural venues, libraries and community centers.
  • Capital Metro’s documented service standards list employment and residential densities as the top criteria determining level of transit service.ransit service.