Amendment would allow for slight height increases in certain areas and would define design standards.
From the Austin Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/st...ml?jst=b_ln_hl
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 2:47 PM CDT
University overlay amendment to be considered
Austin Business Journal
The Austin City Council will consider amendments to the University Neighborhood Overlay redevelopment ordinance after a public hearing on May 22.
The ordinance, adopted in 2004, allows some of the greatest heights and densities outside of downtown and has sparked more than 3,000 units and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of projects around the University of Texas. Conceived as an optional tool to encourage compact, mixed-use projects in the approximately 300 acres surrounding UT, the overlay allows developers to build as high as 220 feet and waives floor-to-area ratio and site area requirements, allowing developers to build many more units.
Proposed changes are intended to promote redevelopment of small lots, add some design and construction flexibility and expand site plan requirements, among other changes, say city staff. Proposed changes include:
* Increasing heights slightly in some areas of the overlay to account for sloping and other issues of topography.
* Requiring building parking to be slackened slightly.
* Requiring less residential space on the ground floor of projects to promote new projects on smaller lots.
* Increasing compliance with design guidelines in the UNO ordinance when a site plan is submitted.
There are 35 projects totaling about $700 million currently in progress in the UNO area. According to Mike McHone, vice president of University Area Partners, the number of projects has vastly surpassed expectations.
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