Item3_InfillPlatSP-Lite_Presentation — original pdf

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Infill Plats & Site Plan Lite, Part 2: Overview of Staff Proposal Codes & Ordinances Joint Committee | April 1, 2024 Brent Lloyd, DSD Development Officer Agenda Items • Discuss proposed code amendments for: 1. Infill Plats 2. Site Plan Lite, Part 2 • Questions & Answers Infill Plats Subdivision Overview Subdivision Plats • The division of land into one or more lots for the purpose of sale, transfer, development, or extension of utilities. • Unless an exception applies, only land within an approved subdivision plat may be developed. • Infrastructure and amenities dedicated at subdivision serve multiple lots, which can then be developed independently. — Commercial & Residential Subdivisions Subdivision Overview (cont’d) Subdivision Types and Order of Process • Preliminary Plan • Final Plat • Subdivision Construction Plans • Re-subdivision Effect of Subdivision on Residential Development • “Fee Simple” Ownership vs. “Condominium Regimes” Greenfield Subdivision Subdivision Construction Plan - Build Infrastructure Residential Subdivision Infill Plats – Challenges • In the platting context, “infill” is the re- subdivision of lots in existing single-family subdivisions into new, smaller lots. • Current regulations, particularly drainage & water quality, are tailored to greenfield subdivisions rather than residential infill. Infill Plat Process - Council Direction Goals of Resolution No. 20230504-023: • Establish an efficient process to create infill lots within residential subdivisions, thereby facilitating fee-simple ownership and small-lot development form. • Right-size regulations to the scale and intensity of infill development. • Explore making waivers and variances administrative. • Include other changes to facilitate creation of infill lots. Subdivision-Related Improvements Adopted in 2023 Ordinance No. 20230831-141 • Eliminated commission approvals for plats, which means all applications without variances may be approved by staff. • Streamlined application submittal requirements. • Extended application deadlines. • Modified flag lot regulations. Summary of Infill Plat Proposal Response to Resolution No. 20230504-023 • Targeted changes to regulations for residential resubs. aimed at: — Making the process more efficient and less costly for small-lot developments that are comparable in scale & intensity to development currently permitted under HOME 1. — Ensuring that drainage requirements are:  Right-sized to infill development  Sufficient to ensure that development does not increase risk of lot-to-lot flooding. Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) Drainage Plan In-Lieu of Onsite Detention & Drainage Studies • For resubdivisions of platted residential lots, onsite detention & drainage studies would not be required for development that: — Does not exceed: (b) half an acre; and (a) 8,000 square feet of impervious cover; or — Provides a drainage plan sufficient to show that new impervious cover will not cause water to flow onto neighboring lots. • Eliminates costly, hard-to-maintain “micro ponds” and is similar to current water quality controls exemption (also capped at 8K IC). Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) Summary of Drainage Plan Requirement • Scope of requirement remains under review. • Where applicable, drainage plan would be required to demonstrate that all runoff from new impervious cover is discharged to: (a) an existing storm drain system; (b) right-of-way; or (c) a dedicated drainage easement sufficient to convey flows from a 100-year storm consistent with applicable requirements of the Drainage Criteria Manual. Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) How Drainage Plan Differs From Current Regulations • Onsite detention not required, substantially reducing design and construction costs. • No volumetric analysis or drainage studies required; plan simply has to demonstrate appropriate water flow. • The harder tier (i.e., dedicating a drainage easement) would be triggered in a minority of cases and would still be substantially more streamlined than onsite detention or drainage studies. Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) Revised Impervious Cover Assumptions • No change proposed to impervious cover limits applicable to construction of units, which is 45% in SF-3 & SF-2 zones. • “Assumed impervious cover,” per LDC Sec. 25-8-64, is used at subdivision in applying non-zoning regulations calibrated to the anticipated intensity of future development. • Assumptions are necessary because subdividing land does not result in developed impervious cover, which is deferred to site plan or building permit. Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) Benefits of Revised IC Assumptions • Current code assumes 2,500 sq. ft. of impervious cover for all lots under 10K square feet in size, which is unrealistic for smaller lot infill development. • For lots below 5,750 square feet, the staff proposal of using zoning impervious cover establishes a more realistic baseline for applying water quality & drainage regulations to infill development. • Allows resubdivisions to include more land area and a higher number of lots than under current IC assumptions. Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) Other Limitations on New Process • Only applicable to residentially platted subdivisions, where lots are better- suited to infill development. • Process not available if resubdivision requires a plat vacation or commission-approved variances. Infill Plat Proposal (cont’d) Relation to Proposed HOME-2 Amendments • Infill-plat amendments will enable an easier process for applicants to resubdivide into smaller lot sizes proposed in HOME-2 amendments. • The amendments will also support an easier process for creation of flag lots under revised requirements proposed in HOME-2. Site Plan Lite, Part 2 City of Austin Site Plan • Required for residential projects of five or more dwelling units, except where an applicable “site plan exemption” applies. • Triggers review of all applicable Title 25 regulations and corresponding criteria manuals, as well as full interdepartmental review. Site Plan Lite – Part 1 • Site Plan Lite, Part 1 addressed 3-4 unit residential. • How can the Site Plan process and regulations be tailored to “missing middle” residential? • Site Plan is agnostic to project type and size. Site Plan Lite – Council Direction • With passage of Resolution No. 20221201-048, Council provided direction to propose a modified site plan process in two phases. • The first phase focused on projects of 1 to 4 dwelling units, with the goal of conforming the review process to single-family homes as closely as possible. • The second phase focuses on development of 5 to 16 units, with the goal of better tailoring regulations to the scale and intensity of these developments. • Amendments for both phases was limited to non-zoning regulations. SP-Lite | Part 1 Amendments • Adopted by Council in 2023, Ordinance No. 20230720-158 created a site plan exemption for development not exceeding four dwelling units per site. • Development under SP-Lite, Pt. 1 initially required going through the formal exemption process due to additional regulations triggered for development of more than two units. • Following passage of HOME 1 amendments, which changed the definition of “Multi-Family,” projects of up to three units are now routed directly to Residential Review. SP-Lite | Proposed Pt. 2 Amendments • Amendments proposed for SP-Lite, Pt. 2 establish an intermediate review path, closer to residential-scale review than to full Site Plan. • Using the same provisions proposed for the Infill Plat amendments, SP- Lite, Pt. 2 would substantially streamline drainage regulations for projects of up to 8,000 square feet of impervious cover. • Under current zoning regulations, development of 5-16 units per site is generally limited to MF-zoned properties or development under Affordability Unlocked. SP-Lite Pt. 2 (cont’d) • Proposal would classify 5-16 unit projects as “Small Project Site Plan,” which substantially reduces review fees, streamlines review process, and eliminates notification requirements. • Additional process improvements to be pursued on an ongoing basis with partner departments and future cost-of-service studies used to calibrate fees. Site Plan Lite – Process Improvements • Simplify and consolidate applications. • Streamline Site Plan Completeness Check process. • Dedicate case management for housing Site Plans. • Improve timeline on last-mile work to issue permit. Next Steps - Infill Plat and Site Plan Lite 2 • Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee | April 1, 2024 • Environmental Commission | May 1, 2024 • Council Set Date | May 2, 2024 • Planning Commission | May 14, 2024 • City Council | May 30, 2024 Questions