Austin City Council begins zoning changes in West Campus to boost housing, development

Illustration of high-rise building in the clouds

West Campus apartments may be taller and more affordable after the Austin City Council initiated a series of zoning amendments in their Thursday meeting.

The council passed items that direct the implementation of previous updates to City Code Title 25, which governs land development, and the University Neighborhood Overlay, or UNO, which governs developments in West Campus and promotes high-density development in exchange for affordable housing.

The amendments were outlined in a resolution approved last year and focused on changes to zoning and housing regulations. One of the changes initiates updates to the UNO, which allows developers to exceed existing building height limits, permitting larger buildings in West Campus.

As of now, the specifications of the UNO changes are pending while the city planning department collects community input.

The council has also initiated the process for removing height limits for buildings in the “Inner West Campus” and Dobie areas. This change will allow taller buildings, potentially increasing the availability of housing units. Height limits will also be increased in other parts of West Campus to allow for more residential developments.

“By increasing building heights, you utilize your property more and provide more housing units on that same property,” said Paul Ray Books, a senior planner with the city of Austin. “To allow more properties to participate, would encourage more high-density, pedestrian-oriented development and affordable housing within the neighborhood.”

The UNO affordable housing bonus program will also expand to additional areas within the UT campus district. This expansion means more properties may include affordable housing in their developments. Books said expanding this program would allow developers to construct buildings taller than allowed with normal zoning restrictions in exchange for community benefits.

The zoning changes also calls for new developments to provide bedrooms with windows or openings that allow access to natural light and ventilation, and they call for improvements to pedestrian and bike infrastructure in streets between West Campus and UT.

According to last year’s resolution, the upgrades will “(enhance) sidewalks, bikeways, and pedestrian realm improvements on key corridors for east-west travel to the University of Texas from West Campus to expand capacity to move people and increase safety.”

While the measure passed without objection from the City Council, Austin activist Brad Massingill said he opposed the proposed changes.

“(It) seems like the premeditations of turning the area west of campus into a big old real estate monopoly board,” Massingill said at the Jan. 30 meeting. “I would encourage (the council) to postpone this and do some more outreach to the residents of the area besides the students.”

Books said the city will hold a public hearing process before implementing the changes. While the zoning amendments have been officially initiated, they won’t be finalized for a few months, which gives residents and stakeholders time to weigh in on the proposals.

“The second phase that’s coming up in the next couple of months will be the community members’ chance to look at our proposal,” Books said. “We’ll have information on our website and a public survey. … That’s going to take place prior to us going through the adoption process.”

Originally published Feb. 3, 2025, in The Daily Texan
By Isaiah Williams
Illustration by Breyonna Mitchell

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