Yes, what they say is true. Someone could tear down a house on a large lot and build 9 houses . And, yes, it is the intent of the resolution. And I don't think it goes far enough --- Austin would be better if we allowed people to build 50 houses on a large lot!
The thing is that "allowed" is not the same as "will people do it". Your neighbors are allowed to paint their house orange with purple stripes. Or keep weird statues in their front law. But most people don't do it, because they want to be friends or, at least, get along with their neighbors.
I don't believe people will tear down a house on your block and build 9 houses. First, the houses on your block are in good repair. Second, most people would not want to be the ones living in one of those 9 homes, because they want to get along with their neighbors.
But I do believe there are lots in Austin where an old, poorly maintained house should be torn down and replaced with multiple townhomes. Let me explain why.
Austin has grown by 33% in the last decade but the number of lots in Austin has fallen 3%. Right now, the Austin metro area has 1,000,000 families while Austin has only 180,000 single-family lots. No matter what we do, only 18% of households in the Austin metro area can get a lot in Austin. Like most things, we hand out this limited resource to those who can pay, so the richest 18% get a lot in Austin. The richest 18% of households earn $158,000 per year. So, right now, no family earning less than $158,000 should expect to be able to live in Austin.
I don't like that. And the obvious solution is to create more lots. We have 180,000 lots and we need about 400,000 more. So, we need to split existing lots. The most common lots are zoned SF-3 and with our current large minimum lot size, 5 out of every 6 of those lots cannot be split. The minimum lot size is the problem. It is what's driving up the price of lots and housing in Austin. It is what's keeping teachers and firefighters from living in Austin.
We should get rid of the minimum lot size law. That seems too radical to City Council, since most cities have a minimum lot size law. Their choice of 2,500 sqft with up to 3 units on the lot is what seems like a major step without removing the law.
With this new law, I expect that when an older, poorly maintained house is torn down, it will be replaced by more than 1 house. I don't know if it will be 2 or 4 houses. It might even be 9 townhomes in some cases. I'm willing to let the developer and new home buyers decide how many houses. The more houses built elsewhere, the less of a reason to build more houses on your block. That's why I think we should get rid of the minimum lot size.
I know you care about your block and this law sounds like it could change radically. And the law's opponents play up that fear. While there is a risk, I don't think it is a big one and I think we need this law to help poorer families. If you think it is a big risk for your block, you can get your neighbors to agree to a minimum lot size privately by contract. This can be done as a deed restriction or HOA. But, as I said, I don't expect this to happen on your block. It will happen to older houses or ones very close to downtown.
This law is one I've been hoping for for a long time. Every major economist agrees that it will help lower lot prices and make houses more affordable for middle-class Austinites. It is the kind of change you taught me to value. I hope you'll agree that it is a good thing for Austin to do.
Love,
Mike