The Austin Planning Commission wants to develop a new zone within the city to accommodate the many requests for conditional use permits for twinhome and townhome buildings.

Wednesday, July 11, 2001

The Austin Planning Commission wants to develop a new zone within the city to accommodate the many requests for conditional use permits for twinhome and townhome buildings.

Currently, the city has R1 zoning for single-family dwellings, R2 for high-density, multifamily dwellings and R-M for mobile home parks. None of the city’s zoning designations targets this segment of dwellings. The Planning Commission received two such requests at Tuesday night’s regular meeting.

Jeff Mundt, planning service department head for Yaggy Colby and Associates, has been working with City Zoning Administrator Craig Hoium for the past three years to update the city’s comprehensive plan, and tackle zoning ordinance revisions.

"A new zoning district will create flexibility in housing, and may translate into lower prices for housing," Mundt said. The commission did, however, discuss the control it would have if twinhomes or townhomes remained a conditional use for R-1 districts. It would allow the commission to research the background of developers requesting the conditional use permit to ensure that they build quality homes.

Mundt said that townhome buyers want to live in an area that’s "more of a neighborhood setting" than the high-density living of apartments in an R2 district.

Other proposed revisions and amendments to the zoning ordinance included a review of the minimum space requirements for buildings in the R-M residential mobile home district.

The city now requires that mobile homes be 20 feet from side to side, 15 feet from back to back and 10 feet from the front pavement. The state requires 10 feet side to side, 3 feet back to back and 10 feet from the pavement. Hoium said that Austin’s requirements are more stringent than the state’s. He did a survey of cities of similar size in the southern part of the state and said that the commission may want to return to the state’s zoning guidelines. Setting up a heritage preservation committee also was recommended and Hoium said it could encompass areas that would give those sites special relief from variances.

Another proposed zoning district would permit or restrict adult-type businesses. An adult business area would accommodate the requirement that the business be 1,000 feet from a church, school or residential area.

Chairman Brian Johnson asked if existing business would be grandfathered in. Hoium said that they probably would have to be, however, the city has a moratorium on any new "adult" businesses. Other zoning revisions and amendments that the commission will review are: limiting accessory square footage and exterior finish restrictions on them, having R1 district conditional uses include convalescent homes, ordinance-fee schedule addressing stormwater management and review of minimum setbacks in the B2 community business districts.

Hoium said he would ask City Council member Dick Lang at Monday’s City Council meeting to set up an ordinance meeting with the Planning Commission.

Call Ailene Dawson at 434-2235 or e-mail her at ailene.dawson@austindailyherald.com.