Item 7 _CDC '26 Budget Rec. — original pdf

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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 202503XX-X Implementation of Anticipated Equity Overlay Recommendations Seconded By: Commissioner Date: March XX, 2025 Subject: FY26 Budget Recommendations Motioned By: Commissioner Recommendation The Austin Community Development Commission received unprecedented testimony from the community supporting the Equity Overlay. An Equity Overlay would allow for vulnerable communities to have a voice in the development process in order to decrease the pressures from gentrification and displacement. Our commission has been updated on the progress of the ongoing Equity Overlay feasibility study and we anticipate a report that includes recommendations that the Austin City Council can move to implement. Therefore, the Community Development Commission recommends that the Austin City Council plan for the budget implications that will come from implementing the recommendations that will come from the study. We recommend that the City Council proactively allocate appropriate funding to properly plan for the anticipated recommendations. Description of Recommendation to Council ● Provide appropriate funding to implement the recommendations from the Equity Overlay Feasibility Study Rationale Since the 1820’s, when white settlers came to the area now known as Austin and displaced the Indigenous population of the area, the most vulnerable communities were targeted by developers and speculators in order to make a profit. In the 20th Century, the 1928 Master Plan displaced our black and brown communities in the name of development and for the gain of developers and speculators. The story continues with the construction of Interstate 35, with Urban Renewal, with designating East Austin a “desirable development zone”, and more recently with SMART Growth and rewriting of the Land development Code to push for more density. The legacy of our city is one of sacrificing our most vulnerable communities in the name of development and for the gain of developers and speculators. East Austin has been drastically transformed and BIPOC residents have been displaced, and neighborhoods like Dove Springs, Montopolis and Rundberg face more and more pressure from developers and speculators. According to the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department, in its impact statement relating to the HOME Initiative, “upzoning historically marginalized neighborhoods leads to displacement,” and “parties with more resources may take advantage of the new regulatory landscape, while those with fewest resources experience an increase in precarity.” As our Eastern Crescent communities, mostly BIPOC and low-income, continue to face these pressures, the community has lifted its voice to call for an Equity Overlay. The Austin City Council voted to initiate a feasibility study of an Equity Overlay and APD Urban Planning and Management has been hired to conduct the study. APD Urban Planning and Management aims to have a report that includes recommendations for implementation ready by the summer of 2025.