Say No to Super-Sized McMansions

To Center City Neighborhood Leaders:

As you’re probably aware, last Thursday Council passed a resolution directing staff to develop some SF compatibility standards/new development regulations to limit scale and avoid having scraped lots sprout super-sized McMansions that are happening all around Central Austin.  I’ve heard an estimate of 2 months for these regs to be drafted.

This Thursday, (Feb 2) the Council will consider an ordinance to establish interim development regulations for single family uses that will put temporary measures in place while the new regs are being developed.  This is a critical tool that would check the rush of building applications that want to beat the new standards that are in work.

Already, on Friday, I heard that rush was beginning, so these interim regulations are key.  The interim standards may however elicit significant opposition.  Therefore it’s imperative that Council hear from those who support them, and that Council understand that there is a lot of support for the interim regs.  So please let council know you support these interim measures (if you do) and pass this info on to your neighborhood groups and any others I’ve missed (see below) and ask them register their support doing any and/or all of the following:

Email Council http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm
Call Council Members and the Mayor
Sign in down at Council Chambers FOR Item 18 (you can do this as early as Monday)
Show up at the Council Meeting on Thursday 2/2  and sign in FOR Item 18
Pass the info on to others who support these measures and ask them to do the same
From the Agenda: 18.   Approve an ordinance establishing interim development regulations relating to the construction of single family uses and the redevelopment of land on which single family uses are to be constructed including floor-to-area ratios, maximum height limitations or other regulations to ensure that development is compatible with existing neighborhoods, providing for an expiration date, and declaring an emergency.  (Council Member Brewster McCracken, Council Member Betty Dunkerley and Council Member Lee Leffingwell)
Thanks,
Laura Morrison
ANC President