Efforts to rewrite Austin's land development code advanced May 20 when Austin City Council learned of many of the biggest problems with the existing code.

The process to rewrite the code, dubbed CodeNEXT, was initiated as part of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan that called on simplifying the existing code. Dan Parolek, a CodeNEXT team member and outside consultant from California-based Opticos Design Inc., presented council with his code diagnosis that identified 10 problems with the existing code.

"Our process here is to, especially in this diagnosis phase, actually pull up the hood and sort of open up that computer and find out what is wrong with it to give us some direction as we move forward in the CodeNEXT process," Parolek said.

The new code, expected to be implemented by 2017, seeks to address several problems, he said, including ineffective base zoning districts and language that encourages automobile-dependent development. In the fall council will hear proposed code alternatives to consider.