Advocacy Roundtable – Citywide & Downtown Density Bonus Updates

Each month, the AIA Austin Advocacy Roundtable brings together professionals to discuss strategies individual professionals, practices, and AIA Austin can take to proactively advocate for issues important to our members and the larger community.

This month, the Advocacy Commission presents Citywide & Downtown Density Bonus Updates. Austin’s density bonus programs allow modified building standards, such as increased height, in exchange for community benefits like affordable housing and public space. City of Austin Planning staff will present draft revisions intended to consolidate and clarify existing bonus tools, refine gatekeeper requirements and community benefit options, and address concerns related to accountability and impacts on existing housing. Participants will gain an understanding of how these proposed policy changes may influence development patterns, housing outcomes, urban design, and public welfare in Austin, and will have the opportunity to provide feedback prior to formal adoption.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the major proposed changes to Austin’s Citywide and Downtown Density Bonus programs, including updates to development entitlements, gatekeeper requirements, and community benefits.
2. Explain how density bonus programs can be used to secure public benefits such as affordable housing, publicly accessible open space, and other community-serving amenities.
3. Evaluate how proposed revisions may affect redevelopment patterns, accountability, and the impacts of new development on existing housing and surrounding neighborhoods.
4. Assess how density bonus policy can influence urban design, walkability, accessibility, and broader public-welfare outcomes in Austin’s built environment.

Bring your bag lunch and join us to engage with city planners and share feedback that could help shape Austin’s future growth.

1.5 LU (pending)
$5 members/$20 non-members
Register Here