Austin is in the throes of a government-induced affordability crisis, and it’s prompting some at city hall to take action.
Earlier this month, the Austin city council approved the Family Homestead Initiative, a “resolution [that] calls for the city to identify all the regulations and costs associated with the process” of building and remodeling homes. Interestingly, the resolution begins by acknowledging that “in the last two decades Austin’s housing market has gone from one of the least expensive to one of the most expensive among Texas’s four major metropolitan areas” and concludes by directing the City Manager to streamline systems for smaller residential project, create written guidance (and catalogue) all relevant single-family structure remodeling fees, and explore options for reforming the permitting process for single family dwellings moving forward.
What policy actions ultimately emerge out of this effort are still unclear, but this is certainly a praiseworthy step forward for a city plagued by high housing costs, excessive taxation, permitting delays, and other barriers to realizing the American Dream.