Presented to the ANC on August 16, 2015 by Jim Duncan.

1. James B. Duncan, FAICP
Austin Neighborhoods Council
August 26, 2015
Tale of Two Cities
(Austin and Seattle)

2. Seattle Mayor unveils 65 recommendations by
task force on housing affordability, including:
• Require all developers to build affordable homes or pay fees
• Prioritize use of public properties for affordable housing
• Subsidize rents/operations for extreme low-income housing
• Reform city design and historic review permitting process
• Modify codes to maximize wooden building construction
• Dedicate new property taxes for affordable housing
• Offer tax breaks to landlords who restrict rents
• Enact real estate excise tax for affordable housing
• Increase housing levy for affordable housing
• Expand property tax exemptions for new restricted units
• Launch proactive multi-family housing preservation strategy
• Minimize displacement of marginalized populations
• Increase access to rental housing for people with criminal past
• Provide funding for tenant counseling and landlord education
• Devote more land to multi-family near transit/amenities
• Expand housing choice in Villages and corridors
• Boost production of accessory dwelling units
• Allow more housing types in single-family zones
Housing Affordability and Livability
TaxationLandUseRegulationPreservation

3. 7 July
13 July
19 July
28 July
29 July
Neighborhood Sleeplessness in Seattle

4. UrbanVillage Plan
downtown
urban centers
urban villages
manufacturing centers
Imagine Austin
regional centers
town centers
neighborhood centers
activity corridors
Recent Planning History
1988- neighborhood districts
1994- comprehensive plan
1998- neighborhood plans
2004- comp plan update
2014- comp plan update
Recent Planning History
1978- AustinTomorrow
1992- neighborhood plans
2013- Imagine Austin

5. Neighborhood Districts (13) Neighborhood Sectors (15)

6. Who is Doing Better:
Austin or Seattle?
Both are doing very well promoting growth, but
Seattle is doing much better promoting;
•
quality over quantity,
•
process over product,
•
green over gray and
•
people over profit.

7. What is Austin Doing Wrong?
(In the words of Andres Duany, the Father of New Urbanism)
“One of the most disappointing things to me is the number of urbanists
who admire a place like, say,Austin, confusing urban vitality with the
existence of a hundred bars.”
Terrain.org, 16 April 2013
"I'm disappointed in what I see here. This city is acting like a beggar. Austin
is hot! You don't have to go out on every date! Austin accepts too
many things others would not."
Austin Chronicle, 13 April 2007
“The planners role is to create a system that allows the smallest possible
effective increment to make a decision. Acting at the neighborhood
level, a city can design itself.”
Austin Chronicle, 13 April 2013

8. Why is Austin Unaffordable?
1. Move forward with common sense
revisions to code.
2. Redefine success for development
review (reward good performance).
3. Simplify and eliminate redundancies in
city processes.
4. Invest more resources and find
guaranteed funding for planning.
5. Expect every neighborhood to
participate in housing supply.
6. Require neighborhood plans to be
updated and consistent.
7. Ensure diversity of voices in ongoing
planning process.
8. Open other feedback avenues to City
staff and council

9. “Strong Neighborhoods,
Strong City!”
James B. Duncan, FAICP
Austin Neighborhoods Council
October 28, 2015

10. Neighborhood Issue
Northwest Hills/Balcones Austin Oaks PUD
Hyde Park/South River Historic preservation
East Cesar Chavez/Holly Gentrification
Riverside/PleasantValley Displacement
East Austin/Kealing Mediation
Zilker/Bouldin Creek ShortTerm Rentals
Crestview/North Loop Infill/redevelopment
Allandale/Brentwood Mall redevelopment
Rainey Street Congestion
Windsor Park Charter school
Oak Hill Super highway
Lost Creek Horse Pasture
Recent Local Neighborhood Issues

11. City of Austin Organization Chart

12. Where is DON?
(Department of Neighborhoods)

13. Neighborhood Services
•
Planning and development
•
Neighborhood planning
•
Zoning and site plan review
•
Permit notification
•
Infrastructure prioritization
•
Education and information
•
Issue papers and positions
•
Guest speakers and forums
•
Leadership colleges/academies
•
Outreach and engagement
•
Stakeholder identification
•
Websites and newsletters
•
Social media and networking
•
Coordination and counseling
•
Interagency coordination
•
Neighborhood mediation
•
Landlord/tenant counseling
•
HOA coordination
•
Improvements and maintenance
•
Code compliance
•
Property maintenance
•
Home improvement
•
Neighborhood beautification
•
Blight elimination
•
Graffiti abatement
•
Other services
•
Branding and marketing
•
Affordable housing
•
Historic preservation
•
Small business expansion
•
Community gardening
•
Crime prevention
•
Awards and recognition
•
Grants and funding
•
Volunteer coordination
•
Block party coordination
•
Mayor and council visits

14. Established Neighborhood Offices

15. Issues and Problems
Lagging infrastructure and amenities
Equity and human resources
Problems with open process
Pace and scale of development
Independent entities with planning areas
Gentrification and displacement
Communicating with governmental entities
Interstices, borders and non-planned areas
Revisioning the City
Defining neighborhoods
Where are the children?
Equity issues in funding neighborhood plans
Neighborhood Issues in Seattle

16. Department of Neighborhoods:
City of Seattle, Washington
•
Outreach and engagement
•
City Neighborhood Council
•
Neighborhood district coordinators
•
Neighborhood planning
•
Neighborhood matching funds
•
Peoples Academy for Community Engagement
•
Community Gardens (P-Patches)
•
Historic preservation

17. Office of Neighborhood Involvement:
City of Portland, Oregon
•
Neighborhood program
•
Public Involvement Advisory Council
•
Diversity and Civic Leadership
•
Immigrant and refugee integration
•
Neighborhood mediation
•
Historic preservation
•
Noise control program
•
Graffiti abatement program

18. Department of Neighborhoods:
City of Houston, Texas
•
Neighborhood connections
•
Neighborhood toolbox
•
Neighborhood protection (inspections)
•
Citizens Assistance Office
•
Volunteer Initiatives Program
•
Office of International Communities
•
Matching Grants Program
•
Mow-Down Program

19. Neighborhood Services Department:
City of El Paso, Texas
•
Neighborhood association assistance
•
Neighborhood Coalition
•
Neighborhood Summit
•
Neighborhood Leadership Academy
•
Neighborhood Improvement Program
•
Neighborhood Conservation Action Plan
•
Neighborhood revitalization strategies
•
Community leadership library

20. Department of Neighborhood Services:
City of Fort Worth, Texas
•
Neighborhood education and engagement
•
Neighborhood empowerment zones
•
Civic Leadership Academy
•
Neighborhood awards
•
Public improvement districts
•
Homebuyer assistance
•
Façade improvement program
•
Cowtown Brushup

21. Neighborhood Services Department:
City of Phoenix, Arizona
•
Neighborhood coordination
•
Neighborhood College
•
Neighborhood notification
•
Neighborhood participation for land use
•
Landlord and tenant counseling
•
Foreclosure prevention
•
Grant opportunities
•
Graffiti-free Phoenix

22. Neighborhood Engagement Office:
City of New Orleans, Louisiana
•
Neighborhood capacity building
•
Neighborhood Leaders Roundtable
•
Civic Leadership Academy
•
Community AdvisoryTeams
•
Neighborhood participation for land use action
•
Land use and zoning notification
•
Coffee onYour Corner
•
Police Community Advisory Board

23. Office of Neighborhoods:
City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
•
Neighborhood information
•
Neighborhood training and education
•
Neighborhood liaison
•
Neighborhood organization
•
Neighborhood policy advocate
•
Neighborhood revitalization
•
Partner facilitation
•
Code enforcement

24. Working in Neighborhoods:
City of Tulsa, Oklahoma
•
Neighborhood Liaison Assistance
•
Neighborhood EnhancementTeams
•
Neighborhood revitalization
•
Neighborhood advocacy
•
Neighborhood awards
•
Leadership training (WIN University)
•
Neighborhood beautification grants
•
Neighborhood investigations (code enforcement)

25. Neighborhood and Community Relations Department:
City of Minneapolis, Minnesota
•
Neighborhoods 101
•
Neighborhood priority plans
•
Neighborhood Engagement Commission
•
Neighborhood revitalization program
•
Minneapolis City Academy
•
Community participation program
•
Community Connections Conference
•
Community Innovation Fund

26. Mayors Office of Neighborhoods:
Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee
•
Neighborhood materials
•
Neighborhood registration
•
Affordable housing trust fund
•
Neighborhood cleanup
•
Leadership training (MyCity Academy)
•
The Livability Project
•
Skyline photo contest
•
Night Out Against Crime

27. Office of Neighborhoods:
City of Knoxville, Tennessee
•
Neighborhood coordinator
•
Neighborhood advisory council
•
Neighborhood advisory newsletter
•
Neighborhood conferences
•
Neighborhood documents
•
Good Neighbor of theYear Award
•
Guest speaker guide
•
Emergency preparedness grogram

28. Neighborhood Empowerment Department:
City of Tampa, Florida
•
Partnerships and Neighborhood Engagement
•
Neighborhood University (leader empowerment)
•
Neighborhood Information App
•
Mayors Landlord training
•
Neighborhood Enhancement (code enforcement)
•
Community affairs (discrimination complaints)
•
Business taxes and permits
•
Graffiti removal

29. Housing and Neighborhood Department:
City of Raleigh, North Carolina
•
Community engagement
•
Citizens Advisory Council
•
Citizens Leadership Academy
•
Neighborhood revitalization
•
Affordable housing coordination
•
Code enforcement
•
Homebuyer assistance
•
Priority repair

30. Mayors Neighborhood Liaisons:
City of Indianapolis, Indiana
•
Mayors Neighborhood Liaisons
•
Neighborhood organization assistance
•
Common interests/issues coalition assistance
•
Community meeting attendance
•
Planning and land use education
•
Zoning, variances and permitting information
•
Business expansion and relocation assistance
•
Vacant property and building location assistance

31. Office of Neighborhood Services:
City of Boston, Massachusetts
•
Citizen input and facilitation
•
Neighborhood housing strategy
•
Neighborhood business assistance
•
Landlord and tenant counseling
•
Grants and funding
•
Foreclosed properties portfolio
•
Good Neighborhoods Handbook
•
Homebuyer assistance

32. Office of Neighborhood Services:
City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
•
PhillyRising Collaborative
•
Civic engagement and volunteer service
•
Community empowerment and opportunity
•
Zoning Archives online
•
Philadelphia More Beautiful
•
TownWatch (crime prevention)
•
Anti-Grafitti Network
•
Mural Arts

33. Department of Neighborhood Coordination:
City of Albuquerque, New Mexico
•
Neighborhood, HOA and City liaison
•
Neighborhood Recognition Ordinance
•
Neighborhood information dissemination
•
Neighborhood Association websites
•
Neighborhood newsletters
•
Planning department overview
•
Zoning/site plan/liquor license notification

34. The Promise of 10-1!
1. Greater geographic representation
2. Greater electoral participation
3. More diverse council membership
4. More openness and transparency
5. Greater neighborhood influence

35. The Promise of 10-1!
“And Jesus entered the temple and drove
out all those who were buying and selling
in the temple.”
Mathew 21:12

36. CAVEs vs. DUDEs
(Citizens AgainstVirtually Everything) (Developers Under Delusion of Entitlements)
OIL-driven (Only In Leander)
“Remember the Armadillo!”
“Don’tTread on My Neighborhood!”
“Gentrification without Representation!”
GAS-driven (Greed-Avarice-Stupidity)
“In Growth WeTrust!”
“Fifty-Four Floors or Fight!”
“Give Me Density or Give Me Death!”
CAVEs
DUDEs

37. “Missing Middle Ground”
“When you are getting shot at from both sides,
you must be doing something right!”
Ronald Reagan (in response to reactions to his South Africa sanctions in 1985)
"Come let us reason together (Isaiah 1:18)"
Lyndon Johnson (in his efforts to achieve congressional consensus in 1965)