A Tale of Two Cities (Austin and Seattle)

James B. Duncan, FAICP

Austin Neighborhoods CouncilAugust 26, 2015

Tale of Two Cities(Austin and Seattle)

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

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7 July

13 July

19 July

28 July

29 July

Neighborhood Sleeplessness in Seattle

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 Tomorrow1992- neighborhood plans2013- Imagine Austin

Neighborhood Districts (13) Neighborhood Sectors (15)

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.

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

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

“Strong Neighborhoods,Strong City!”

James B. Duncan, FAICP

Austin Neighborhoods CouncilOctober 28, 2015

Neighborhood IssueNorthwest Hills/Balcones Austin Oaks PUDHyde Park/South River Historic preservationEast Cesar Chavez/Holly GentrificationRiverside/Pleasant Valley DisplacementEast Austin/Kealing MediationZilker/Bouldin Creek Short Term RentalsCrestview/North Loop Infill/redevelopmentAllandale/Brentwood Mall redevelopmentRainey Street CongestionWindsor Park Charter schoolOak Hill Super highwayLost Creek Horse Pasture

Recent Local Neighborhood Issues

City of Austin Organization Chart

Where is DON?(Department of Neighborhoods)

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

Established Neighborhood Offices

Issues and ProblemsLagging infrastructure and amenitiesEquity and human resourcesProblems with open processPace and scale of developmentIndependent entities with planning areasGentrification and displacementCommunicating with governmental entitiesInterstices, borders and non-planned areasRevisioning the CityDefining neighborhoodsWhere are the children?Equity issues in funding neighborhood plans

Neighborhood Issues in Seattle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Neighborhood Engagement Office:City of New Orleans, Louisiana

• Neighborhood capacity building• Neighborhood Leaders Roundtable• Civic Leadership Academy• Community Advisory Teams• Neighborhood participation for land use action• Land use and zoning notification• Coffee on Your Corner• Police Community Advisory Board

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

Working in Neighborhoods:City of Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Neighborhood Liaison Assistance• Neighborhood Enhancement Teams• Neighborhood revitalization• Neighborhood advocacy• Neighborhood awards• Leadership training (WIN University)• Neighborhood beautification grants• Neighborhood investigations (code enforcement)

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

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

Office of Neighborhoods:City of Knoxville, Tennessee

• Neighborhood coordinator• Neighborhood advisory council• Neighborhood advisory newsletter• Neighborhood conferences• Neighborhood documents• Good Neighbor of the Year Award• Guest speaker guide• Emergency preparedness grogram

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

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

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

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

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• Town Watch (crime prevention)• Anti-Grafitti Network• Mural Arts

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

The Promise of 10-1!

1. Greater geographic representation2. Greater electoral participation3. More diverse council membership4. More openness and transparency5. Greater neighborhood influence

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

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-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)