Austin's 10-year housing plan is ending. The council votes Nov. 5 on writing the next one

Austin's plan for how much housing the city should help build, and for whom, runs out next year. On Nov. 5 the City Council is scheduled to vote on starting the next one. The resolution asks the city manager to update the Strategic Housing Blueprint with new production and preservation goals, a fresh analysis of need and new anti-displacement strategies. It also asks for the plan to inform a possible 2028 bond election. Rents, home prices and where affordable housing gets built over the next decade all depend on the goals it sets.

Where the current plan stands

The Blueprint, adopted in 2017, set 10-year goals of 60,000 affordable units and 135,000 total units, with 64 policy objectives, Austin Housing principal planner Rachel Tepper told the Housing and Planning Committee on Oct. 13. The city's Blueprint page says the plan runs through 2027.

Staff said the city set a goal of putting 25% of new income-restricted affordable units in "high opportunity" areas, and that it has fallen short of that goal. The city is updating its opportunity map with University of Texas researchers and expects to release it in early 2027.

A staff housing market analysis published in August found a major shortage of homes affordable to renters earning up to 50% of the area median income, and that wages have not kept up with housing costs, a senior planner said.

Who pays for the update. Tepper said the work is funded by a six-year federal Pro Housing grant awarded in 2025, so it would not cost the general fund. Staff aim to adopt a new Blueprint in mid-2028.

What the resolution says

The draft resolution directs the city manager to prepare an update that includes:

• new affordable and "attainable" housing production and preservation goals;
• data on housing need, supply and demand, and growth, including planned transit;
• displacement prevention strategies;
• strategies for renters and owners through public and private partnerships.

It says the council wants the update ready to inform a potential 2028 bond program. It also asks for clear annual reporting metrics and regular updates to the council.

What our records add

Committee vote. The Housing and Planning Committee recommended the resolution 3-0 on Oct. 13, according to the committee report. Chair Natasha Harper-Madison moved it, Vice Chair Mike Siegel seconded, and Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela voted yes. Council Member Paige Ellis was off the dais. Harper-Madison and Siegel sponsored the committee item.

It is now item 26 on the council's Nov. 5 draft agenda, listed among the non-consent items referred from council committees. Items from committees come off the consent agenda automatically, as was noted at the Oct. 22 meeting, so the council will take it up separately.

The 2028 bond link. On Oct. 8 the council adopted, on consent, Council Member Marc Duchen's resolution for a six-year bond cycle, co-sponsored by Council Members Ryan Alter and Krista Laine and Mayor Pro Tem Vela. Duchen said it makes bond planning explicit for 2028 and 2034. If both pass, the new Blueprint would be due around the time a 2028 bond package is being built.

Recent housing votes. On Oct. 22 the city's housing finance corporation approved about $21 million in loans for five affordable projects. We covered those here.

What's next

The council takes up item 26 on Thursday, Nov. 5. If it passes, staff would begin the formal revision process, with engagement and regular council updates, aiming for adoption in mid-2028. The progress report and market analysis dashboards are on the city's Blueprint page.