AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council has updated the requirements for parkland dedication as a way to increase the park system in Austin.
After the decision, the cost factor for the 2023 fiscal year has been has been capped at 10% greater than the year prior. An additional change is that any commercial parkland development will have new fees from the City, which go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
This is mainly in response to the rapidly increasing population size and land price increases. Furthermore, multiple amendments were made to Residential Parkland Development requirements, which also apply to commercial developments.
These amendments are ways the City is trying to encourage "substantially advances [in the] public interest in promoting the health, safety, and general welfare of Austinites," the City of Austin's website stated. "[Parkland dedications] would create opportunities for greenbelt and trail connections that are lost under today's requirements, and better serve Austin's growing workforce with recreational opportunities."
The "Land Cost per Person" included in the calculation of parkland fees were limited, which is the fee that is 10% greater. But that allows the overall 2023 Parkland Dedication fee to be 45% lower than the 2022 cost, which is based on the average cost of parkland.
Any new commercial development within the Austin Full Purpose jurisdiction which includes office, retail, industrial and hotel use, will be required to dedicate parkland or pay a fee-in-lieu of "dedication in proportion to the impact on the park level of service" which will begin on Jan. 1, 2023, according to the release.
This cost will be applied to any subdivision, site plan or building permit that proposes additional commercial square footage without additional park space. The extra cost will help advance the park system in Austin in an effort to keep up with the rapid influx of people and companies.
Multiple other amendments were made by city council for parkland dedication for residential developments that will also apply to commercial:
- Ensure fee rates do not change during the review cycle and stayed locked at the time of a project's permit application
- Expanded the applicability of the affordable housing waiver to all types of government-operated affordable housing
- Clarify the crediting of dedicated parkland within the 25-year floodplain.
The last amendment included a multi-departmental stakeholder process, which allows stakeholders to explore further changes to the Parkland Dedication ordinance. This will allow:
- Outreach to park advocates
- Housing affordability advocates
- Development representatives
Further information on stakeholder engagement and the process involved will be released by the council in the coming weeks.
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