The Population Has Nearly Doubled, So What’s with The Rewrite of Austin’s Land-Use Code?

DALLAS (AP) – A years-long effort that included spending more than $8 million and formulating a blueprint of some 1,500 pages for how Austin uses its coveted land has ground to a halt.

The City Council on Thursday is expected to stop the sweeping rewrite of Austin’s land-use code, known as CodeNext. Mayor Steve Adler says “the process has been misunderstood and poisoned,” in part by misinformation and fabrication.

It’s likely that much of the draft work will remain in place as city administrators determine a new path for ultimately adopting broad regulations guiding the use of land in the capital city.

The regulations the city relies on to manage growth are nearly 35 years old, dating back to a time when its population was about 420,000, far short of the nearly 1 million now.

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