REGULAR MEETING OF THE CODES AND ORDINANCES JOINT COMMITTEE NOVEMBER 19, 2025, AT 6:00 P.M. PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (PDC), ROOM 2103 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR AUSTIN, TEXAS 78752 Some members of the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Jordan Feldman at (512) 974-7288, Jordan.Feldman@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Alejandra Flores, Chair Nadia Barrera-Ramirez, Vice Chair Betsy Greenberg Casey Haney Felicity Maxwell Lonny Stern Alice Woods AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Speakers signed up for public communication will each be allowed three minutes to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee Special Called meeting on September 24, 2025. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. 3. Approve a recommendation to amend City Code Title 25 (Land Development) to allow an administrative variance for a development on parkland owned by the City of Austin. Approve the 2026 meeting schedule of the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Jordan Feldman at Austin Planning, at (512) 974-7288, Jordan.Feldman@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee, please contact Jordan Feldman at (512) 974-7288, Jordan.Feldman@austintexas.gov.
Special Called Meeting of the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee September 24, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Permitting and Development Center (PDC) – Room #2103 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive Austin, TX 78752 Some members of the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee may be participating in the video conference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, call or email the board liaison, Jonathan Lee, at (512) 974-7232, Jonathan.Lee@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS Alejandra Flores (Chair) – Present Nadia Barrera-Ramirez (Vice Chair) – Present Betsy Greenberg – Present Lonny Stern – Absent Felicity Maxwell – Present Alice Woods – Present CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:01 PM. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Speakers signed up prior to commencement of the meeting will be allowed to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of July 16, 2025, meeting minutes. No comments. Approved unanimously. Motion by Commissioner Greenberg, 2nd by Vice Chair Barrera Ramirez. Commissioners Maxwell and Stern absent. 1 DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Senate Bill 840 Briefing. Staff briefing on Senate Bill 840, a law passed by the 2025 Texas State Legislature that requires cities to allow multifamily and mixed-use development in commercial zoning. City staff: Jonathan Lee, Senior Planner, Austin Planning, (512) 974-7232, Jonathan.Lee@austintexas.gov, and Stevie Greathouse, Division Manager, Austin Planning, Stevie.Greathouse@austintexas.gov, (512) 974-7226 Stevie Greathouse, Austin Planning, presented. 3. C20-2025-010 CBD Amendments. Discussion and possible action to recommend amendments to City Code Title 25 (Land Development) to establish a maximum building height limit within the Central Business District (CBD) zoning district and to amend the Downtown Density Bonus Program (DDBP) and Rainey Street Subdistrict regulations to modify allowable maximum building height when participating in the DDBP. City staff: Stevie Greathouse, Division Manager, Austin Planning, Stevie.Greathouse@austintexas.gov, (512) 974-7226 Stevie Greathouse, Austin Planning, presented. Commissioner Greenberg moves to limit height to 220ft. Motion fails due to lack of second. The committee did not make a recommendation on this item. 4. Schedule of Active Code Amendments Briefing. Staff briefing on the September 2025 Schedule of Active Code Amendments Gantt Chart. City staff: Jonathan Lee, Austin Planning, (512) 974- …
Affordability Impact Statement City of Austin Parkland Drainage Easements Case number: C20-2025-009 Initiated by: Planning Commission, July 2025 Consent Agenda Date: 9/15/2025 Proposed Regulation The proposed amendment to 25-7-152 (E) of the City Code would add a provision allowing an administrative variance for site development permits on City-owned parkland. If ever the subject property were sold through a process and voter referendum outlined in Chapter 26 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, however, the new property owner would still be required to dedicate the easement as part of any future development per the code. This change is expected to improve fiscal and administrative efficiency for public park development and capital projects. 25-7-152 of the City Code currently requires a property owner to dedicate a public drainage easement encompassing the 100-year floodplain located on their property when they submit a site development permit application. The code already includes provisions allowing the Director to grant an administrative variance under certain circumstances. The Parks and Recreation Department and Watershed Protection Department are in longstanding agreement that the change proposed in this amendment is appropriate and beneficial. Currently, each parkland development project must provide evidence of this agreement to apply for and receive a variance individually. Codifying this exception in 25-7-152 (E) will streamline the process and reduce unnecessary administrative work for both departments. Land Use/Zoning Impacts on Housing Costs The proposed changes would have neutral impacts on housing costs: • These proposed changes primarily relate to development and capital projects for public parks and should not affect housing costs or capacity through land use or zoning changes. Impact on Development Cost The proposed changes would have neutral impacts on development cost: • These proposed changes primarily relate to development and capital projects for public parks and should not affect housing development costs or capacity. Impact on Affordable Housing The proposed changes would have neutral impacts on affordable housing: • These proposed changes primarily relate to development and capital projects for public parks and should not affect income-restricted housing costs or capacity. Overall Impact The proposed changes would have neutral overall impact: • These changes to City Code may improve fiscal and administrative efficiency for the Parks and Recreation Department and the Watershed Protection Department, but do not appear to significantly impact housing affordability. The scale of the impact will be: • City of Austin parkland. Other Policy Considerations • N/A Manager’s Signature …
Code Amendment C20-2025-009 Parkland Drainage Easements Austin Watershed Protection | November 19, 2025 Intent of Current Code: Drainage Easements LDC 25-7-152(A) The owner of real property proposed to be developed shall dedicate to the public an easement for stormwater flow to the limits of the 100-year floodplain Ensures that the current and future property owners know that flood risk exists on their property Accomplished by surveying the floodplain area on the property 2 Impacts Under Current Code Requires solicitation and contract negotiation Requires multiple rounds of staff review A Declaration of Use (DOU) requires Real Estate and Legal review Final approval requires multiple levels of executive review, signatures and recording with associated County fees Overall process cost: Consultant for survey (increased significantly over time) Cost of staff time charged to the project (reducing available money for construction) Adds cost/time to the site plan review process Park property remains city-owned unless voter approved for sale through a Chapter 26 process 3 Proposed Code Add public parkland owned by the City of Austin to the list of options for a variance. Would not exempt parkland from following all code requirements for development in the floodplain. If a property is approved for sale, the new owner would be required to dedicate the easement once a subdivision or site plan application is submitted. 4 Proposed Code Language § 25-7-152 - DEDICATION OF EASEMENTS AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY E. For property in the full-purpose limits of the city, the director may grant a variance to Subsection (A) if the director determines: 1) development with the variance does not result in additional adverse flooding of other 2) property; and the development: a) is permitted by a variance granted under Section 25-7-92(C) (Encroachments on Floodplain Prohibited); is permitted in a floodplain under Section 25-7-93 (General Exceptions), Section 25-7- 94 (Exceptions in Central Business Area), Section 25-7-95 (Exceptions for Parking Areas), or Section 25-7-96 (Exceptions in the 25-Year Floodplain); is not a building or parking area; is a non-conforming use, as defined by Chapter 25-12, Article 3 (Flood Hazard Areas); or is on parkland owned by the City of Austin. b) c) d) e) 5 Boards and Commissions Review Schedule Meeting Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee: Initiation Recommendation (approved) Date July 16, 2025 Planning Commission: Initiation Recommendation (approved, initiated) August 12, 2025 Parks and Recreation Board: …
C20-2025-009 ORDINANCE AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET Amendment: C20-2025-009 City of Austin parkland drainage easements LDC 25-7 code amendment Description: Amends 25-7-152 (E) as related to parkland drainage easements. The proposed amendment would allow an administrative variance to not require drainage easements associated with development projects on parkland owned by the City of Austin. Proposed Language: Approve an ordinance amending 25-7-152 (E): to allow for an administrative variance to drainage easement requirements associated with development projects on parkland owned by the City of Austin. Background: Current code requires that property owners dedicate a public drainage easement to the limits of the 100-year floodplain as a part of the site development permit approval process. Additionally, 25-7-152 (E) includes provisions allowing the Director to grant an administrative variance under certain circumstances as described in that section. The purpose of the drainage easement is to alert present and future property owners that there is flood risk on the property. There are limitations on the use of the drainage easement and floodplain areas on the property. These uses are regulated by the floodplain regulations. Importantly, an approved administrative variance waiving the drainage easement requirement does not waive or alter existing restrictions or development requirements within the 100-year floodplain. The proposed amendment would only apply to the dedication of a drainage easement on City of Austin parkland. Additionally, if parkland is later sold through the Chapter 26 process and voter approval, the new property owner would be required to dedicate a drainage easement as part of any future site plan application. The process for the sale of public parkland must follow the requirements outlined in Chapter 26 of the Texas statues which serve as a protection for public parks and recreational lands from programs or projects that would change their use or require taking of public land. A benefit of this proposed code change is to reduce the fiscal and administrative burden on new parkland projects by improving efficiency during the permit review process. Austin Parks and Recreation and Austin Watershed Protection are in agreement that this change is appropriate and beneficial. Currently, each parkland development project must apply for a variance and be approved on a case-by-case basis. Codifying this exception will streamline the process and reduce unnecessary administrative work for both departments. Additionally, there will be no impact or change on maintenance or operational responsibilities as a result of the code amendment. Staff Recommendation: Staff …
CODES AND ORDINANCES JOINT COMMITTEE DRAFT 2026 MEETING CALENDAR Dates: Third Wednesdays Time: 6:00 p.m. Location: Permitting and Development Center (PDC) – Room #2103 Address: 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Austin, Texas 78752 Third Wednesday 2026 Dates: • January 21 • February 18 • March 25 (On 4th Wednesday to avoid Spring Break) • April 15 • May 20 • June 17 • July 15 • August 19 • September 16 • October 21 • November 18 • December 16
