Inclusive Planning and Program Delivery
Affordable Housing Development Funding
Resources for developers include low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA), Ownership Housing Development Assistant Programs (OHDA), Private Activity Bonds, and Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs).
Affordability Unlocked Development Bonus Program
The 'Affordability Unlocked' Development Bonus Program waives or modifies some development restrictions in exchange for providing low- and moderate-income housing.
City and Land Development Code
The Land Development Code determines how land can be used throughout the city, including what can be built, where it can be built, and how much can (or cannot) be built.
Development Incentives & Agreements
The City of Austin may provide developers with incentives—such as fee waivers, density bonuses, tax incentives, and development agreements—to build and to set aside affordable rental and ownership housing for low- and moderate-income households in developments.
Homestead Preservation Districts
Homestead Preservation Districts (HPDs) are districts whose purpose is to help municipalities promote affordable homeownership and prevent the involuntary loss of homesteads for low- and moderate-income households.
Housing Development Assistance
The Housing and Planning Department and the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC—a public, nonprofit corporation of the City of Austin) use funding tools and regulatory incentives to encourage both for-profit and non-profit developers to create affordable housing. Both funding and/or regulatory incentives support developers to create affordable multi-family or single-family housing.
Housing Trust Fund
The Austin Housing Trust Fund supports the development and rehabilitation of owner-occupied homes, rental housing development, and acquisition of property for use as affordable housing.
Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan
The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2012, provides us with a framework for realizing this vision. Together we can make it happen!
Implementation Programs
The Housing and Planning Department (HPD) supports the implementation of the City's comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin, through various activities.
Long-Term Affordable Housing
Long-term housing generally refers to homeownership, whether it be individual homes or subdivisions, or multi-unit properties (e.g., duplexes, condominiums, etc.). Availability of reasonably priced housing can be important to ensuring affordability in communities citywide. The City of Austin strategically provides resources to help in the construction and preservation of such housing, as outlined below.
Income & Rent Limits
All affordable housing programs have income eligibility requirements so that we can be sure we are targeting assistance to assist Austin's moderate- and low-income residents and families. There are income restrictions for many of these programs set by state and federal guidelines. Each program has different eligibility requirements so be sure to check on the specific criteria of each program.
Permanent Supportive Housing
On any given night, more than 2,100 Austinites are homeless. Many have been homeless for more than one year. Doing nothing is not an option. The City of Austin and Travis County are serving Austin with compassion and action through a sensible, safe, stable housing approach called Roof Over Austin.
Requests for Proposal (RFPs)
The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) regularly partners with non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers through a competitive solicitation process (referred to as a Request for Proposal, or RFP) to develop AHFC-owned properties with rental and owner-occupied housing reserved for low-income households.
Strategic Housing Blueprint
The City’s Strategic Housing Blueprint, adopted by Council in 2017, is a 10-year plan to help align resources and facilitate community partnerships around a single, strategic vision to create 60,000 affordable housing units for those making less than 80% of the median family income and ensure that there is affordable housing throughout the city.