Austin's next housing plan will try to count the older, cheaper apartments the city loses, after an 8-2 vote

Austin's 2017 housing plan, the Strategic Housing Blueprint, runs out next year. On Nov. 5 the City Council told the city manager to write the next one, and changed the instructions in two ways before voting.

The resolution came from the Housing and Planning Committee. Because the committee chair, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, was absent, Vice Chair Mike Siegel moved it, and Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela seconded. Our Oct. 24 story explains the original resolution and its link to a possible 2028 bond.

Amendment one: a wider scope

Council Member Ryan Alter's motion sheet adds items the plan must address. They include:

• working with regional partners;
• policy options for "sustainable funding for the housing trust fund," local housing vouchers and supportive services;
• targets for supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness;
• targets for groups such as domestic violence survivors, youth, people with complex medical needs and students;
• a review of affordable housing built on city-owned land.

It also asks that bond recommendations "explore City financial support for preservation" of naturally occurring affordable housing, or NOAH. That term means older, unsubsidized units that rent cheaply.

Alter said his amendment mostly documents earlier council resolutions that will feed into the plan. Council Member Paige Ellis seconded it, and it passed without objection.

Amendment two: counting losses

Council Member Marc Duchen's motion sheet requires the Blueprint scorecard, progress report and related analysis to include three counts:

1. naturally affordable units destroyed in a given period;
2. units destroyed in connection with a developer using a density bonus, an "equity transit overlay" or another entitlement program;
3. units preserved through direct council or city action.

Duchen said the council has "approved zoning changes to developments that result in a net loss of affordable housing, even with the participation of our density bonus programs." He said a city memo from about two weeks earlier counted about 68,000 NOAH units, up from about 28,000 the year before. Our story on that memo has the numbers.

Alter asked whether the second and third counts covered only NOAH units. Duchen said they did. Alter then asked staff whether the data exist. Rachel Tepper of Austin Housing said the city already tracks demolitions of multifamily buildings with five or more occupied units, and some mobile home rezonings, through its tenant notification and relocation ordinance. She said losses are harder to track when leases simply are not renewed and a building is empty by the time it comes down.

Alter said a raw number needs context to be useful. Vela said District 4 has abandoned complexes that are "really unlivable" and that his office has been trying to get torn down. He asked whether demolition permits would be the data source. Tepper said occupied buildings with five or more units are tracked through the relocation ordinance.

The vote was 8-2. Council Members Zohaib "Zo" Qadri and Mike Siegel voted no and did not explain their votes from the dais. The amended resolution then passed without objection.

What our records add

The committee sent the resolution to the council 3-0 on Oct. 13. At that meeting, staff said the update is paid for by a six-year federal Pro Housing grant, so it would not cost the general fund. Staff aim to adopt the new Blueprint in mid-2028.

The bond link is already set. On Oct. 8 the council adopted Duchen's resolution for a six-year bond cycle, which points to bond elections in 2028 and 2034.

What's next

Staff now start the rewrite, with stakeholder meetings and regular updates to the council. The current scorecards and market analysis are on the city's Blueprint page.