A proposed change in Austin's zoning code has sparked debate. | File photo
A proposed change in Austin's zoning code has sparked debate. | File photo
District 2 Austin City Council candidate David Chincanchan, a strong supporter of changing the city’s zoning code because of its “segregationist, racist past.” is raking in campaign donations from developers whose industry would benefit from new, high-density zoning regulation, The Austin Bulldog reported.
In the first six months of 2020, 19% of donations to city council candidates, $91,500 out of $476,342, came from people in professions such as real estate, construction, real estate law, architecture, brokerage and urban design, the story said.
The analysis parsed the numbers further to find that three candidates, Chincanchan, Greg Casar, and Jimmy Flanigan, received nearly $68,000 of the $91,500.
Endeavor Real Estate Group, which bills itself as “one of the most active developers in central Texas", donated only to Chincanchan, Cesar and Flanigan, the story said.
Chincanchan supports CodeNext, a revamping of the city zoning code that would require a minimum of three homes on residential lots.
The current zoning, he says, is “rooted in a segregationist, racist plan from 1928,” that had led to gentrification and displacement of lower-income residents, the Austin Monitor reported.
“Over the last several years, including in East Austin and including in Rainey Street, we have seen the effects of gentrification, we have seen displacement, we have seen real suffering, and in our community, we have seen flooding as well," Chincanchan said. "All of those things that we want to address are happening under the current Land Development Code, and so we should be clamoring for change.”
Critics of CodeNext, however, say it would make single-family homes a relic of the past and likely raise rents for the residents who remain.
It would cause land values and taxes to soar says the group Community Not Commodity.
"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."
Austin has spent eight years and $10 million reworking the land development code, radio station KUT reported.
It has faced numerous setbacks, including a judge’s ruling last spring that determined the city had violated its own code by approving zoning changes without notifying property owners of the potential changes, KUT reported
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