Affordable Housing

In an analysis of 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data, Harvard University researchers found that roughly 48% of renters in the Austin metro area spent more than they should on housing.

The City of Austin and a nonprofit bought seven apartment complexes with the promise of keeping rents low for tenants. Instead, rents went up. Residents have now received notice that if they submit their income and prove they make less than $65,000 a year, their monthly rent may go down.

Five years into a decade-long plan for housing, an annual report shows developers have not built as much affordable housing as elected officials hoped.

Austin ignored state law when it passed three housing policies, a Travis County district judge ruled Friday. These policies allowed developers to ignore some zoning rules as long as they set aside a portion of what they built for people earning low incomes.

Council members voted Thursday to amend the city's land use rules, allowing developers to build up to three homes where only one or two were previously permitted.

A new Harvard University study found an increase in the number of Texas households headed by people 65 or older spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Advocates say keeping older adults housed will require substantial public investment and reforms.

At each of the apartment buildings, rent went up as much as 25%. While tenants received notice of the increase from the previous owner, it came weeks before the city and its partner finalized the purchase. Raising rents appears to have been a condition of the sale.

Relocating a home in Austin can be complicated and expensive. On Thursday, the city said it would look at how to remove those barriers.

The proposed changes include increasing the number of homes that can be built on a piece of land. The first of three public hearings is Thursday.

A group of homeowners is asking a judge to scrap policies that encourage developers to build affordable housing by letting them bypass building restrictions without going through the usual public process.