The controversial Austin Oaks planned unit development will only need six votes to pass at Thursday's third and final reading after signatures on surrounding property owners' petition against the development dropped below the threshold that forces a supermajority approval.

Since the first reading of Austin Oaks, a valid petition citing owners of more than 24 percent of the development's surrounding property who oppose the zoning change has remained in the background. If a zoning case has owners of more than 20 percent of the surrounding property objecting to the change, a supermajority–nine council votes–is required for approval on its third and final reading.

After council approved the development during its hotly debated March 23 second reading 7-4, there were questions as to how the zoning change would get the two more votes it needed to pass on third reading.

As the most controversial zoning case of 2017 prepared for third reading on Thursday, news came through that property owners who oppose the zoning case now represented only 19.83 percent of the surrounding property, invalidating the petition and erasing the supermajority requirement.

According to Greg Guernsey, director of the Planning and Zoning Department, the opposition only needs 0.17 more percentage points of surrounding property representation to require the nine-vote supermajority, which could happen before Austin City Council takes up the item after their 5:30 p.m. dinner break.