Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 10 a.m. (Austin time), Austin City Hall
Committee: Housing and Planning Committee
0:02 Madison Council Member for district one on the Austin City Council, and I have the honor of being
0:07 the chair for the housing and planning committee.
0:10 Um, I am calling to order our housing and planning committee meeting today, January 20, 27th, or, ooh,
0:18 you guys don't fast forward, Natasha.
0:20 January 27th, 2026. This is our special called meeting, um, of the housing and planning committee.
0:27 And we're calling it to order at 10:34 am um, we're convened right here in City Council chambers at
0:33 3 0 1 west second street.
0:36 And again, um, like I said to Council Member Ellis, this is gonna be a relatively short meeting.
0:41 I'm joined by Council Member Siegel here on the day, and I think Council Member, uh, Vela is
0:46 threatening to try to join us virtually also.
0:49 Uh, and we're obviously, um, joined virtually by Council Member Ellis.
0:53 We're gonna begin with public communication.
0:55 Last I checked, we didn't have anybody signed to signed up to speak.
0:59 That's correct. No speakers.
1:00 Thank you. I appreciate it.
1:01 Just as a matter of course, um, about process, we, generally speaking, extend the opportunity for folks to,
1:08 uh, to take the floor and present for the committee.
1:11 Each speaker has three minutes, um, and they speak to items on the agenda, but today we don't
1:16 have any, in which case, um, we are gonna move on to our first agenda item, which is,
1:24 um, uh, housing and planning committee item double zero one.
1:28 That's approval of the minutes from our September 16th housing and planning committee meeting.
1:33 Um, do I have a motion?
1:34 Motion is made by Council Member Siegel, seconded by Council Member Ellis.
1:39 Um, all those in favor say aye.
1:42 The ayes have it.
1:43 We are unanimous with everybody present, including Council Member Ellis who's joining us virtually.
1:48 Um, the minutes are approved and will be filed with the city clerk in accordance with our code.
1:53 Um, up next is item number two, that's hpc oh zero two.
1:59 That's discussion and possible action regarding setting the housing and planning committee meeting dates for the calendar year
2:08 of 2026. That's this year.
2:09 So the item before us is for discussion and possible action.
2:13 Um, does anyone wish to offer a motion move by Council Member Siegel and seconded by Council Member
2:20 Ellis? Um, the motion carries at the time, so the, the calendar that we're looking at does every,
2:26 did everybody get the opportunity to take a look at the potential dates?
2:31 Um, oh, thank you.
2:34 Do we have any, let me see.
2:36 I'll read those out just in case anybody's eyeballs are challenged black mine.
2:45 So the proposed dates are February 10th, April 14th, June 2nd, October 13th, and December 1st with all dates subject to change as
2:57 needed. Um, I'm gonna operate under the assumption that those of us who are here with no conflicts
3:04 to date, um, are voting unanimously for the proposed calendar.
3:09 Do you mind if we see Council Member morales's face?
3:13 Yes. Some voting in favor.
3:15 Excellent. Um, and with that unanimously, we we're going to adopt the calendar for the 2026 year understanding
3:21 that, um, with committee member Vela absent, uh, at this meeting and that, um, the dates are subject
3:29 to change in the future as needed.
3:32 All righty. Um, so, uh, we have one final item and that's where we take the opportunity to
3:42 identify, um, items to discuss at future meetings.
3:46 And, um, I have an item that I'd like to, uh, propose that we take a look at,
3:50 but I'd certainly like to defer to the other members of the committee for items that we can
3:55 consider in 2026.
4:01 Alrighty. And I'm seeing that, um, so far so good on hands raised, but you know, this is
4:06 the kind of thing where we have the opportunity to communicate with one another throughout the course of
4:10 the year and with our, our liaison to make changes to the agenda as needed.
4:15 Um, what I'd like for us to do is take a look at, um, our litech, um, that's
4:22 low income housing, uh, tax credit, property, um, protocol, so to speak.
4:29 So, um, just by way of the rationale, it occurred to me that, you know, as some of
4:36 the properties in our respective districts as those low income housing tax credit properties, income restricted, uh, properties,
4:44 um, as their federal contract.
4:47 So their contract with hud is what covers the cost of those in those housing choice vouchers.
4:53 So as those apartment complexes and their contracts come to a close, um, the, the complex has the
5:01 opportunity management has the opportunity to extend the contract or to convert those units from income restricted to
5:08 market rate. And while you know this, we're talking about private real estate, so to speak, you know,
5:14 we don't have a lot of opportunities in my mind's eye to intervene.
5:18 Um, but I'd like very much to know what are our opportunities for intervention.
5:22 So there's not, um, there's not any expectation on my part that we are somehow going to, um,
5:31 defeat or interfere with, uh, with some of these properties converted into market rate.
5:36 But I would like to know what interventions, especially considering that the city, we already do something, which
5:42 is awesome, and that we catalog these properties.
5:45 I was able to get from our housing, um, folks, they were able to produce a catalog of
5:51 these properties. And Council Member Ellis, I was telling Council Member Siegel already, I'm happy to share this,
5:56 this, um, spreadsheet. Um, hi Council Member Vela.
6:00 Hey, I'm made it, you made it.
6:02 I'm not sure how much you heard, but, um, we were just talking about items for future consideration
6:07 and I was talking about, um, our protocol around litech properties.
6:11 Essentially what I'm saying is as they are coming to a close, what do we do?
6:15 And so a closed by way of their hud contracts is what I'm referring to.
6:20 And so I was just saying I have this opportunity to look at this spreadsheet that refers to,
6:25 um, our city of Austin council districts, um, the affordability expiration year, the state of texas basic affordability,
6:35 uh, expiration year. And so essentially what I'm saying is if we know, so for example, Council Member
6:41 Vela, I'm looking at 'em as they're broken out by district immediately what I see on this spreadsheet
6:46 is you have two right at the top of the spreadsheet who's affordability expired into 24, and then
6:52 skip down a couple lines.
6:53 You have another one that expired in 25, and then a couple that expire in 26.
6:57 So essentially what I'm saying is by way of us having this data already readily available, I wanna
7:04 see what the opportunity, where the opportunity May lie for us to add an additional couple of layers
7:11 there. So these properties coming up, you know, their affordability potentially coming up for expiration in my mind's
7:19 eyes should at some point trigger an alarm.
7:22 And then we, you know, make some assessments about whether or not it's gonna continue to be affordable
7:27 or not. And in cases where it's not, in my mind's eye where I saw an opportunity for
7:33 intervention is, you know, how we get these, um, low income, we get these tax credit property applications
7:38 or notifications from the people developing them.
7:41 Um, recognizing that those are gonna be oftentimes in close proximity to these that are coming up for
7:47 a close on their, um, tax credits.
7:50 Is there an opportunity for us to sort of play broker, for example, you know, I know we're
7:56 not in the business of real estate, but is there an opportunity for the municipality to help folks
8:02 whose properties are coming up or converting to market rate move over into continued naturally occurring affordable housing?
8:11 Um, and I don't know what the answers are.
8:13 I mean, and I, you know, I always got ideas <laugh>, um, but I don't know whether or
8:17 not any of them are viable.
8:19 Um, so I'd like very much to bring forward this item for our housing folks to talk us
8:23 through. Is there an opportunity here, obviously low cost, um, and high impact opportunity here for us to,
8:35 um, for us to add an additional layer to our suite of options that help people maintain affordability
8:41 in the city of Austin.
8:42 And that's the only item that I'm bringing forward at this time.
8:46 Council Member Vela, did you have any items that you'd like to add to our future considerations?
8:51 Uh, no, not right now.
8:53 I know it wasn't on this, but like just the gantt chart updates, I always, you know, like
8:56 those and, and, and think those are, uh, uh, helpful and I know that, I know we've burned
9:00 through a lot of those items at this point, but it, it would, it's always good to hear
9:03 from housing and, and, and planning and, and where we're at and stuff.
9:07 Uh, by the way, uh, uh, chair, I would love to, uh, uh, if you could share that
9:11 list with me of the, of the litech properties that are expiring, uh, that would be great too.
9:17 You bet. I'll share it with all of you.
9:18 In fact, um, I'll encourage, uh, staff to share it with all our colleagues.
9:23 Um, 'cause like I said, it is separated out by district and I think could be helpful.
9:27 Great, great. And the only only other comment that I would have that, I mean, given the age
9:32 of some of those properties in the, in the area that they might be, uh, they, they May
9:37 fall into that naturally occurring affordable housing now.
9:39 And, and, and I mean that would be my hope, but it it would be great to see
9:42 a list. Yeah, exactly.
9:44 Um, uh, data is always helpful.
9:47 Alright folks, so with that, oh it counts.
9:50 Member Ellis, I thought of something while, while we were discussing those items, please share, um, specifically around
9:57 the home outcomes and site plan light outcomes.
9:59 I know that we've put in some thresholds for reporting so that we can see how productive those
10:04 new efforts are being.
10:05 And so I think it might be helpful at the appropriate cadence to have those on our agenda.
10:10 I know we put in some deadlines, whether they're annually or every six months to see how those
10:15 programs are working. I would love to see those, uh, come back to us at some point.
10:21 I appreciate that. So, you know, as Council Member rivera was making his commentary, it occurred to me
10:24 to, you know, shoot out a note to our liaison to ask.
10:28 'Cause I know that there's some degree of regular cadence for us to get those, um, the gantt
10:34 chart reports updates. Um, so I, I wanted to ask about that.
10:38 But to your point, Council Member Ellis, we can also ask about, um, site plan light and home,
10:44 um, I guess efficacy updates.
10:47 You know, are I, I mean maybe without it being edit, edit editorialized, they can just tell us
10:53 what the data is, what do the numbers look like?
10:56 Um, and so I guess the question I would have for you is, um, is there, given the,
11:06 do we want to increase the frequency of those updates in 2026 or are we saying that there's
11:13 just been enough of a lag in between the last update that we need to make certain that
11:17 we don't have as much of a lag moving forward?
11:18 I'm just wanting to know if there's something we can fix here about our cadence.
11:22 It's a great question and I, off the top of my head, don't have memorized the exact cadence,
11:27 but I remember during our August budget discussions, I believe the Mayor had read out the initial report
11:34 for the home initiative.
11:35 But I don't remember that we were able to have much conversation around are we hitting our targets?
11:40 What are those and is there any recalibration necessary?
11:44 I know specifically around site plan light, we did a lot of work with the drainage review mm-hmm
11:49 <affirmative>. But the utility review is something that I need to double check on where those conversations are,
11:55 how we're dealing with setbacks, metering, you know, other, other sorts of conversations that I think are yet
12:01 to be determined and wanna make sure we, I don't forget about those.
12:05 'Cause I know that I carried the site plan light initiative and um, Council Member poole had carried
12:09 the home initiative and so we worked closely on it, but that one wasn't my football to carry.
12:14 And I just wanna make sure I'm not, uh, missing something that we could be doing to be
12:19 helpful. I really appreciate that.
12:22 I really appreciate that.
12:23 And I think, uh, you articulated very clearly the kind of data that we'd look to have some
12:27 reporting back on. And it got me thinking that, you know, I've seen at least two emails being
12:34 distributed with discussions around potential changes moving forward with operations and varying departments that could affect some of