The Austin Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted in favor of changing public housing leases, a move that will ban on-property smoking as of Jan. 1, 2012.

The HRA Board approved the lease changes at a meeting Wednesday.

At the meeting, board members reviewed a complaint submitted by a resident of Twin Towers. The resident said in a letter that banning smoking except at designated smoking receptacles is discrimination. The tenant went on to say some public housing tenants have a hard time leaving their apartments because of disabilities.

HRA Executive Director Jim Hurm previously said the change is coming at the prompting of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Housing authorities all over are changing to smoke-free,” Hurm previously said.

Board Chair Marvin Rapinski said the board reviewed the tenant’s comments and they wish him well.

“This makes sense to me,” Rapinski said of the lease changes.