DRAFT: Occupancy of four unrelated adults

#1

The following is a draft resolution. Ask questions, offer suggestions, and share your thoughts so we are better informed and have a strong resolution for the final vote that starts this Friday Oct 27.

Maintain current occupancy limits
The current occupancy limits specified in CodeNext draft 2 section 23 - 4E-7050 “(C) Occupancy Limits in Certain Zones” should be maintained.



Previous draft:
**Occupancy of four unrelated adults**

Due to Heritage’s proximity to UT and our neighborhood’s history of intense rental-investor development, Heritage should be zoned with a maximum occupancy of 4 unrelated adults per lot in residential zoning. This brings Heritage’s occupancy limit in line with the other main UT-area neighborhoods, North University and Hyde Park, and provides a more equitable distribution of rental development.

#2

I’ll be an unpopular student voice here. I live in a shared house (what some call a stealth dorm) with 8 unrelated adults on the property. Given Austin’s lack of affordability in central neighborhoods, allowing duplexes and shared houses is an easy way to increase density and affordability for young people who can’t afford the million-dollar homes in Heritage.
I feel like there is another way to approach this that might get at what is actually undesirable to long-term residents. Is it too many cars? Loud parties? Loss of community? Capping the number of unrelated adults per lot is making duplexes illegal, as well as alternative living situations.

#3

Hi Miles, thanks for sharing your perspective – that’s what the forum is about and why we post draft resolutions. Our intent with this resolution was not to reduce current occupancy limits but to prevent them from being raised from the existing ordinance’s levels. Your comment prompted me to go back and look up the current ordinance and I realized that the CodeNext language actually does match the current ordinance in place now (https://goo.gl/gjP5pc).

The current ordinance limits the main structure (house or duplex) to occupancy of 4 unrelated adults and a secondary dwelling unit (ADU) to an additional 2 in new construction or additions, and it grandfathers existing houses like yours. That matches the language in CodeNext. (See https://codenext.civicomment.org/chapter-23-4-zoning-code-0 and search for page 104.)

Since CodeNext draft 2 does not raise the occupancy limits, I’d like to propose the new draft below. This is simply asking that CodeNext doesn’t change anything, allowing houses like yours to continue to be occupied.

Proposed new draft:
The current occupancy limits specified in CodeNext draft 2 section 23 - 4E-7050 “(C) Occupancy Limits in Certain Zones” should be maintained.

#4

Thanks for the clarification, John. Makes sense to me!