Austin policy lets builders forgo red tape. The result? More affordable housing, less public input.

Austin’s Affordability Unlocked Program Expedites Construction of Affordable Housing

Tomás Ramírez moistens a reed, puts it in his teeth, gulps down the last of his coffee, and begins to play. The sound that comes from his alto saxophone is a mournful riff.

Providing Housing for Musicians and Low-Income Individuals

“I just sort of make things up when people ask me to play,” Ramírez says. The 75-year-old has played on Carole King albums and with the Latin pop band Beto and the Fairlanes. Last year, the Austin Jazz Society inducted Ramírez into its Hall of Fame. And four months ago, he got his own apartment.

“It’s mine,” Ramírez says, gesturing around the 430-square-foot studio apartment in South Austin that he says he rents for free. He spent the last couple of years staying with friends, couch surfing his way around Austin. But after suffering two strokes, he needed a safe place to live and play his music.

Ramírez now lives in Zilker Studios, a recently completed apartment building on South Lamar Boulevard. The building houses roughly 100 people, many of whom have lived on the streets.

The Impact of Affordability Unlocked Program

Zilker Studios opened its doors in May. Walter Moreau, the head of the nonprofit that owns the building, estimates that construction wouldn’t have even been finished until the end of the year if not for a city program he and others say make it easier to build affordable housing.

Affordability Unlocked lets developers bypass certain building rules as long as they promise to rent or sell at least half of what they build to people earning low incomes. When it was adopted by City Council members in 2019, the program was seen as a way to increase the building of low-income housing as a salve to Austin’s ever-rising housing costs.

And it appears to be working. According to a recent report by the Urban Institute, Affordability Unlocked has helped developers build affordable housing at a faster pace than any other city program. Builders and affordable housing advocates have called it a “game-changer” in a city that is hard to afford for teachers, first responders, and service workers.

Streamlining the Building Process

Like many municipalities in the country, Austin has hundreds of pages of rules that dictate how land can be used. The city’s controversial land development code not only determines whether someone can build a house or an apartment building, but it also controls how tall a building can be and how many people can live there.

If a property owner wants to build something other than what is allowed, they typically need to go in front of a government body and ask permission. Cities are required by state law to alert neighbors to any requested changes and to hold a hearing where members of the public can weigh in.

More often than not, residents protest new development, even if it promises to house some of the city’s lowest-income residents. In Austin, developers who build large, affordable apartment complexes estimate this process can add six to eight months (and sometimes more) to a building timeline.

So in 2019, City Council members set about making this easier by establishing the Affordability Unlocked program. It allows developers to build without rules that restrict height, density, and parking, and allows them to bypass some of the public process. In return, these builders have to rent or sell at least half of the homes they build to people earning less than the city’s median income.

Builders using Affordability Unlocked are constructing affordable housing at a faster rate than developers using other affordable housing programs. For example, developers working with Affordability Unlocked are building just over 1,500 homes a year for low- and middle-income residents. In the decade before the city adopted the program, developers using other city incentive programs built about 900 affordable homes a year.

Challenges and Controversies

However, Affordability Unlocked has faced legal challenges from homeowners who argue that the program violates their right to know what’s being built near them. They claim that programs like Affordability Unlocked, which bypass certain public processes, do not provide adequate notification to property owners.

A local judge is currently hearing arguments from attorneys representing nearly two dozen Austin homeowners who are seeking to void Affordability Unlocked and three other city programs. The plaintiffs argue that these programs ignore their legal right to be informed about changes in their neighborhoods.

Supporters of Affordability Unlocked argue that the program does not require permanent rezoning of land and is an opt-in program for developers. They believe that providing affordable housing outweighs the need for extensive public processes.

Despite the legal challenges, Affordability Unlocked has been successful in expediting the construction of affordable housing in Austin. It has allowed developers to build more homes for low- and middle-income residents, addressing the city’s growing need for affordable housing.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. No Poverty

• Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
• Indicator 1.2.1: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age group

3. Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
• Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease

11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
• Indicator 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing
• Indicator 11.1.2: Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

17. Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.16: Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources
• Indicator 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the sustainable development goals

Analysis

1. The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are No Poverty, Good Health and Well-being, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Partnerships for the Goals.

2. Specific targets under those SDGs identified based on the article’s content are:

– Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.

– Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.

– Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

– Target 17.16: Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources.

3. Indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets are:

– Indicator 1.2.1: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age group.

– Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease.

– Indicator 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing.

– Indicator 11.1.2: Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities.

– Indicator 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the sustainable development goals.

4. Table presenting the findings:

| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |

|————————————|——————————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————————-|

| 1. No Poverty | 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty | 1.2.1: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age group |

| 3. Good Health and Well-being | 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases | 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease |

| 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums | 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing |

| | | 11.1.2: Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities |

| 17. Partnerships for the Goals | 17.16: Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development | 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks |

Note: The article does not explicitly mention all the indicators, but they can be inferred based on the targets and issues discussed in the article.

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: kut.org

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