HOME phase 2, land code changes to be voted on Friday | City Hall Insider

Editor's note: City Hall Insider is a roundup of items the Austin City Council is set to vote on, other local government news and an inside look at my reporting process. This story was updated Friday after the City Council voted.

After more than 14 hours of public comment Thursday, the Austin City Council returned to the dais Friday morning and approved approved four highly anticipated changes to the city's land development code — the city's rules on what can be built and where.

Supporters argue many of these changes will promote density and affordability by allowing for more and different kinds of housing to be built while opponents say the changes are being rushed and that some could promote displacement, specifically on the city's Eastern Crescent.

The city's timeline has largely been based on getting federal grant funding for Project Connect, city Planning Department Director Lauren Middleton-Pratt told the Planning Commission during an April 23 meeting. Project Connect is the city's planned light rail that is currently the subject of a bond validation lawsuit based on the proposed financing plan.

The main changes are: HOME phase 2, an equitable transit-oriented development overlay, reducing compatibility regulations and easing restrictions on where electric vehicle charging stations can be located. My colleague and I previewed all of these changes when the city first announced they were going to be taken up.

Read More: Did you get another purple notice from the city of Austin? Here's what it means.

Since the city first sent out notices to residents on the proposed changes, these items have been discussed by the Planning Commission, which made several recommendations for changes. City staff has made counter recommendations based on what the Planning Commission said and presented that to the City Council on Tuesday during a work session.

Additionally, several City Council members proposed their own amendments to the items that were voted on Friday.

While there was some debate on what the minimum lot size should have been — the Planning Commission proposed 1,500 square feet, city staff proposed 2,000 and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson proposed 1,800 — the City Council ultimately landed on Watson's proposal.

For a recap of what the big changes were, check out my story from Friday.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: HOME 2, land code changes up for City Council vote | City Hall Insider