AUSTIN, Texas —
The Austin City Council is set to take up a resolution that proposes updates to an agreement between the city and businesses and property owners for student housing near the University of Texas at Austin.
The University Neighborhood Overlay, or UNO, was created in 2004 to address affordability and equity in housing options.
The resolution seeks to make housing more affordable, walkable and community-oriented. It comes from a student-focused effort using input from students and a recent case study on UNO.
Councilmember Zohaib "Zo" Qadri's office said the new resolution focuses on affordability and expands the overlay into nearby areas. It also adds requirements for windows in bedrooms, based on some of the feedback where students described window-less rooms.
The resolution additionally addresses the inspection process of these apartments and the maintenance to make sure they are up to standard.
"I think the city has grown and the university area is no differently, and we can move forward as a city, without making sure that everyone's taken care of," Qadri said.
The resolution also proposes more mixed-use buildings with housing, shopping, restaurants and grocery stores. More grocery stores in the area would give students additional options and help with food security.
The student liaison who worked with Qadri on the project said it's important to build a sense of community for college students through housing.
"That proximity and that ability to be surrounded by your peers who are going through similar things, maybe it's your first time living in a big city. Maybe it's your first home away from home, maybe, you know, struggling academically," Isabel Webb Carey with the University Tenants Union said. "Maybe, you know, there are a myriad of issues which students are faced, but the idea that you can be held and supported by the people you live near is so important."
If approved, the resolution would direct the city manager to work with businesses and property owners in this area on these proposed changes. They would also work to develop a final ordinance for the council to approve by spring 2025.