City staff collaborates with stakeholders to create form-based code

The City of Austin has embarked on a program that is taking input from area residents, business owners and other stakeholders to imagine a new vision for the Airport Boulevard corridor—from where the road meets Lamar Boulevard to the road's intersection with I-35.

The city is looking to implement form-based code, which is more specific as to the way future buildings will sit in relation to the road and surrounding buildings.

"What you will see at the conclusion of this initiative will be an actual ordinance for form-based code," City Urban Designer Jorge Rousselin said.

The corridor has a planned Austin Community College campus and mixed-use development at Highland Mall, Travis County's campus, and what Rousselin calls "funky" businesses such as Tamale House No. 3 and Jalapeo Joe's along the way. He hopes the plan will be able to facilitate growth and redevelopment without sacrificing the character of the corridor.

"Through these visioning efforts we heard quite a bit, and it is our desire to keep these iconic businesses treasure troves of the neighborhood because they are important to the character of the area," he said.

Form-based code is more apt to keep the character of a neighborhood than traditional methods, Rousselin said, because it looks at the specific neighborhood.

"An SF-3 single-family detached dwelling here in Ridgetop is treated the same as a SF-3 single-family detached dwelling in Circle C, for example," Rousselin said of traditional zoning. "Those are two different areas that are unique and special in their own ways."

Quality Seafood owner and Airport Boulevard Task Force member Carol Huntsberger said the plan would be a positive thing for her business.

"Airport Boulevard is very unique. We have incredible neighborhood associations that are so strong. They want to support this, and I think that makes it really easy for businesses when you have a neighborhood that wants to utilize your area and not leave," Huntsberger said.

Thomas Gohring, who owns Kick Butt Coffee and Master Gohring's Tai Chi & Kung Fu on Airport Boulevard, said it troubled him that according to the vision drawings, the buildings that house both of his businesses would be redeveloped. That was not his only concern with the possible impact of the plan.

"The competing businesses coming in concerns me, because when The Triangle went in, it hurt all the businesses around it," Gohring said.