Design Commission Special Called Meeting of the Design Commission

Agenda — original pdf

SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE DESIGN COMMISSION MONDAY, MAY 4th, 2026, 6:00 P.M. PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Design Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live. 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, call or email Chad Sharrard at 512- 974-8033 or chad.sharrard@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Marissa McKinney, Chair Kevin Howard, Vice Chair Ramachandra “Rao” Aradhyula David Carroll Nkiru Gelles Saira Khan CALL TO ORDER AGENDA Conners Ladner Josue Meiners Evgenia “Jenny” Murkes Jon Salinas Brendan Wittstruck PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first five speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Design Commission Design regular meeting on April 27th, 2026. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Discussion and possible action on recommendations to the proposed Downtown Density Bonus Phase I Urban Design Standards. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS City Code requires at least two board members sponsor an item to be included on an agenda. This section of the agenda provides members an opportunity to request items for future agendas. Staff should assume that if there is no objection from other members expressed at the meeting, the members’ silence indicates approval for staff to include on the next agenda. 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 Chad Sharrard at Austin Planning at 512-974-8033 or chad.sharrard@austintexas.gov to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Design Commission, please contact Chad Sharrard at 512-974-8033 or chad.sharrard@austintexas.gov.

Backup — original pdf

Downtown Density Bonus Phase 1 – Proposal Austin Planning | Design Commission | 04/27/2026 Agenda • • • Background Existing Program & Process Proposed Changes • Urban Design Standards • Community Benefits | • Downtown Density Bonus Process • Stakeholder Engagement and Timeline 2 Background City Council Resolution  Downtown Density Bonus Update  Resolution No. 20240718-185 in July 2024 directed staff to update the Downtown Density Bonus (DDB) program  Requested:  Updates to gatekeeper requirements  Integration of Rainey subdistrict  Creation of new subdistricts  Prioritization of accessibility and shade opportunities  Simplification of the affordability program  Alignment of the program with the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) overlay.  Downtown Density Bonus – Phase 1  In response to Senate Bill 840, Council adopted Ordinance No. 20251023-063, which amended the Central Business District Zone and directed staff to update the DDB program by June 2026 for three DDB subdistricts 4 Existing Program & Process Phase 1 - Existing Height & FAR Map  After the recent adoption of the Central Business District Zone amendments and updates to the DDB, the three subdistricts in Phase 1 have the following entitlements available via the DDB program:  Core Subdistrict – 350ft of height and 25:1 FAR*  Rainey Subdistrict – 350ft of height and 15:1 FAR*  Convention Center Subdistrict – 350ft of height and 15:1 FAR*  Applicants can request Council approval to exceed these entitlements *FAR limits are only applicable to commercial developments 6 Proposed Changes Phase I – Proposed Applicability  Revised to remove the Red River Cultural District from Phase I  To be updated and included in Phase II of the DDB Update  DDB is a voluntary program  Supersedes the following overlays:  Capitol Dominance Overlay  Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Density Bonus  Waterfront Overlay 8 Phase I – Combining Districts  Each combining district will have different entitlements/requirements. Phase I will create 2 combining districts:  DDB400 has +400 ft  DDB850 has +850 ft  Additional height is additive to the property’s base zoning height limit  E.g., a CBD-DDB400 site could build up to 750 ft (350 ft base height + 400 bonus ft)  Sites will be rezoned into DDB400 in Phase I.  Sites will be eligible to request rezoning into DDB850 through the standard rezoning process.  Max height cannot be exceeded by Council approval. …

Backup — original pdf

DRAFT C20-2024-018 DDB Phase I Downtown Density Bonus Urban Design Standards These standards would apply only to projects seeking Downtown Density Bonus entitlements and are intended to implement public realm and pedestrian environment objectives that currently apply under §25-2-586. In order to participate in the proposed Downtown Density Bonus (DDB) program, projects would be required to adhere to all mandatory design standards and a minimum number of additional urban design standards from a menu of options. For Phase I of the Downtown Density Bonus update, the proposed requirements would be: - Projects zoned –DDB400 must adhere to all mandatory standards and at least 7 out of the 14 menu standards to participate in the DDB program - Projects zoned –DDB850 must adhere to all mandatory standards and least 10 out of the 14 menu standards to participate in the DDB program In future phases of the Downtown Density Bonus program update, additional combining districts may be created that have different requirements for the minimum number of urban design standards that must be met. Additionally, subdistricts may be created that provide additional urban design standards or requirements based on the unique character of specific areas (such as the Red River Cultural District). Additional design standards may be added in the future. If additional design standards are added to the menu, the minimum number of standards that must be met may be modified. The Urban Design team in Austin Planning will review site plans and determine compliance with the urban design standards. Mandatory Urban Design Standards Screening Requirements (A) Utility equipment, mechanical equipment, and solid waste collection areas, including loading docks, truck parking, outdoor storage, trash collection, trash compaction, and other service functions: a. are prohibited in the area between a building and a street; b. must not be visible from a street, adjacent property lines, or the property lines across adjacent public streets; and c. must be screened or located in a public alley. (B) This subsection applies to a site with frontage on an alley 20 feet or more wide. DRAFT C20-2024-018 DDB Phase I a. A transformer room or utility vault must be adjacent to and accessible from the alley, unless Austin Energy determines placement is required in another location. b. A pump room, sprinkler room, or other utility or mechanical room must be adjacent to and accessible from the alley unless the Fire Chief determines that placing the …