James B. Duncan, FAICP

Austin Neighborhoods CouncilAugust 26, 2015

Tale of Two Cities(Austin and Seattle)

James B. Duncan, FAICP, CNU

August 26, 2015

2015 Austin Seattle

economic base high techuniversity governme

nt

high tech

university

aviation

population 900,000 650,000

metro area population

2,000,000 3,600,000

metro area share 45% 18%

downtown population

13,000 65,000

downtown share 1.5% 10%

land area (sm) 320 84

density (p/sm) 2,800 7,250

racial mix

white 49% 69%

black 8% 8%

latino 35% 7%

asian 6% 14%

Community ProfileGrowth Rate2012-2013

2013-2014

1800 miles

James B. Duncan, FAICP, CNU

August 26, 2015

Affordability

3

2

1

20

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 Agenda

• Allow More Housing Types in Single-Family Zones

7 July

13 July

19 July

28 July

29 July

Neighborhood Sleeplessness in Seattle

•

• Boost Production of Accessory Dwelling Units

1994-2014 total: about 1,200

• Expand Housing Choice in Villages and Corridors

Urban Village Plandowntownurban centersurban villagesmanufacturing centers

Imagine Austinregional centerstown centersneighborhood centersactivity corridors

Recent Planning History1988- neighborhood districts1994- comprehensive plan 1998- neighborhood plans2004- comp plan update2014- comp plan update

Recent Planning History1978- Austin Tomorrow1984- neighborhood plans2013- Imagine Austin

Neighborhood Districts (13) Neighborhood Sectors (15)

RacialDiversity

DisplacementRisk

RentalOccupied

Mayor Wynn: “25,000 Downtowners”

Year Population

Households

HH size New Units

2015 900,000 370,000 2.4 0

2030 1,150,000

500,000 2.3 +130,000

2045 1,350,000

610,000 2.2 +240,000Who? families, singles, retirees and/or disadvantaged

What? single family, multi-family and/or “missing middle”Where? core, centers, corridors and/or neighborhoodsWhy? affordability, livability and/or profitability How? by-right, fast-tracking and/or incentives

Mayor Adler: “100,000 New Homes”

Quantitative:

Qualitative:

What does the “Father of New Urbanism” think of Austin?

“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.”

Andres Duany, 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."

Andres Duany, Austin Chronicle, 13 April 2007

“Missing Middle”

… Housing Types… Housing Prices… Ground

CAVEs vs. DUDEs (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) (Developers Under Delusion of Entitlements)

OIL-driven (Only In Leander)

“Remember the Armadillo!”“Don’t Tread on My Neighborhood!”“Gentrification without Representation!”

GAS-driven (Greed, Avarice and Stupidity)

“In Growth We Trust!”“Fifty-Four Floors or Fight!”“Give Me Density or Give Me Death!”

CAVEs

DUDEs

“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)

So, Who is Doing Better? Austin or Seattle?

Austin is doing better than Seattle in promoting growth, but Seattle is doing much better in promoting;

• quality over quantity,• process over product, • green over gray and • people over profit.