20250917-004: UPDATED Staff Recommendations regarding Bird Friendly Design — original pdf

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9/15/2025 Response to 20241121-073 Staff Recommendations In response to City Council's directive to provide recommendations on specific City Code amendments or guidelines for bird-friendly building design, staff conducted comprehensive research including stakeholder engagement, case study analysis, cost feasibility assessment, and review of existing regulatory mechanisms and review processes. This analysis encompassed the current Austin Energy Green Building program requirements, successful local projects such as the Austin Airport IT building, and best practices from other cities around the country. Based on this evaluation, staff recommends the following three-pronged approach to address bird-friendly design while balancing environmental protection with practical implementation considerations: 1. Land Development Code Amendment Staff recommend amending Austin's code to establish mandatory bird-friendly design standards for new construction. The proposed amendment would include: Primary Requirements: • New commercial and multifamily buildings exceeding 10,000 square feet must meet bird-safe design performance standards for the first 100 ft of facade as measured by a Material Threat Factor (MTF) rating of 20 or less. Although American Bird Conservancy recommends a MTF of 30 or less, the staff recommendation targets a MTF of 20 due to the overwhelming impact that window collisions have on hummingbird populations, an important pollinator species that is at less of a risk for window collision with a 20 MTF rating. • Implementation of dark sky lighting compliance standards including fully shielded fixtures, exterior and Interior lighting on timers for after midnight and during peak migration. lighting temperatures below 3000K, and directional lighting requirements to reduce light pollution and minimize bird disorientation Additional Provision: • Incorporation of a waiver mechanism for deeply affordable housing projects to ensure housing affordability goals are not compromised (specific criteria and process developed in coordination with Austin Planning staff) 2. Austin Energy Green Building Program and Policy Updates Staff recommend coordinating with Austin Energy to implement progressive enhancements to existing green building frameworks: Future COA Green Building Policy Update: Require bird-friendly design feasibility studies that include cost analysis and evaluation of potential high-risk areas, with risk area definitions to be established within the ordinance Future Austin Energy Green Building Requirements: including simplified Update program requirements for bird-friendly design, potentially requirements and/or decoupling lighting requirements from glass treatments based on project feedback and implementation data