Austin News

District 6 Austin City Council member Jimmy Flannigan supported a controversial revamp of the city's zoning code that critics say could dramatically raise property taxes and make single-family homes a relic of the past.

Under the proposed plan, called CodeNext, a minimum of three homes would be allowed on residential lots. That would cause land values - and taxes to soar - says the group Community not Commodity.

Renters would also be hurt, the group says.

"More than 20% of single-unit structures in Austin are occupied by renters, and in some neighborhoods renters account for more than half of residents," the group said. "When the rezoning inflates their landlords’ tax bills, those increases will be passed on in the form of higher rents, exacerbating Austin’s already-epic displacement crisis."

If the rezoning plan is approved, Austin will be "flooded" by developers outbidding each other for existing single-family homes, the group said.

Flannigan has long been an advocate of reworking the city's zoning code.

"I have been one of the most vocal proponents of changing how this city grows," Flannigan said in a 2018 blog post. " For almost 30 years, this city’s 'do-nothing' advocates have stymied needed investments to address traffic, affordable housing, and equity and pushed a majority of the new housing to District 6 and surrounding suburban communities."

In March, a judge ruled that the city violated its own code by approving zoning changes without notifying property owners of the potential changes, radio station KUT reported. In January, Flannigan was among the city council members who supported using taxpayers dollars to defend the suit, Community Impact newspaper reported.

So far, Austin has spent eight years and $10 million on reworking the land development code, KUT reported.

In March 2019, as the council began discussing the issue again, Flannigan tweeted during a council meeting that he was  "positively giddy" that work on the code changes had resumed, the Austin Statesman reported.