HOME Again - 2.0

As of August 16 HOME Phase 2 is now in effect. City council members voted on this rule change back in May. The entire goal of the HOME initiative “home options for middle-income empowerment” was to create more affordable housing within the city limits specifically for teachers, nurses, first responders (police, firefighters, EMS). The median single family lot size in the city is approximately 8,000 sq ft., the minimum lot size was 5750 sq ft needed to build a single dwelling. Phase 1 allowed homeowners and builders to put up to 3 dwellings (of various sizes) on each of those lot sizes. This could be done by seeking approval through the city’s general residential review process. As of August 1, 173 applications have been submitted for approval. Phase 1 offered homeowners the ability to add a dwelling to accommodate an aging family member, caregivers, or young adult children.HOME Initiative

Phase 2 now reduces the minimum lot size to 1800 sq ft, so potentially 4 dwellings could be built on an 8,000 sq ft lot. The issue here is subdividing the lots. A lofty, time consuming and expensive process according to developers and builders who would need approval from the city’s site review process.

The entire initiative faced much controversy from city residents both for and against the rule changes. Those in favor saw this as a way to bring down housing costs (via density), enable those who work in the city to live in the city, and foster greater use of public transportation. Those against the measures feared the displacement of current residents in certain areas. And a bigger issue was the impact on the ability of the current infrastructure to handle the demands associated with greater density, and more people in smaller spaces.

Some examples of lot sizes and number/size of dwellings under each of the two phases of the initiative.

To learn more about both Phase 1 and 2 of the HOME Initiative click the url below.

​https://www.austintexas.gov/page/home-amendments​