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- May Stakeholder Meetings
- Austin Energy Green Rating Updates
- Updated DSD Homepage
- Building Safety Month 2023
- Upcoming Webinars for Austin Small Business Week
- Restored Forest Spotlight
- Air Quality Goals
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Virtual Engagement Opportunities in May
Join us for two virtual meetings this May, focusing on the topics of land use development and building construction.
- Site/Subdivision Plan Review & Inspections – Tuesday, May 16, 2:30 – 4 p.m.
- Building Plan Review & Inspections – Wednesday, May 24, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
These meetings will include introductions from DSD’s interim leadership, updates on a variety of development topics, and opportunity to ask questions about City development services. We encourage you to attend one or both, depending on your interests, experiences, and questions. We will be sending out an update with more details, including how to register to attend, in the coming weeks.
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Austin Energy Green Building Single Family and Multifamily Rating Updates | |
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Austin Energy Green Building regularly updates its ratings to encourage excellence and innovation in design. Changes in green building technologies, techniques, and revisions to codes and the City of Austin goals influence the rating updates.
A webinar will be hosted on Monday, May 8 to review proposed changes (click here to register). A second draft will be posted to SpeakUp Austin on May 9 for public comment. Visit SpeakUp Austin Single Family and Multifamily rating update pages to learn more.
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DSD Online Tools Now Even Easier to Access | |
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Have you checked out our Development Services website homepage recently? We made some changes that will make this page easier to use, especially on your phone or tablet.
What is different?
- We streamlined all content into fewer columns for a more mobile-friendly layout.
- The quick links section has been expanded from five to eight of our most used pages and now mirrors the City of Austin’s homepage.
- A new colorful banner can be added to the top for any urgent messages, including closures and emergencies.
If you have any questions about our updated homepage or any of the other improvements we have made to our website in recent months, email us.
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Building Safety Month 2023: It Starts with YOU! | |
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The theme for the 43rd annual International Building Safety Month in May is, “It Starts with YOU!” We will join several other City departments and the International Code Council (ICC) during this year’s campaign to raise awareness of our shared responsibility for safe and sustainable structures in Austin.
Throughout May, we will highlight how building safety professionals throughout the community help keep our residents safe by ensuring structures are built, repaired, and maintained properly. As more Austinites work, play, and live near ongoing development, this year’s campaign also will highlight the need to be aware of your surroundings near active construction sites.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn more about this year’s campaign and join the conversation at #BuildingSafetyMonth2023.
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Development Process Team Webinars Return for Austin Small Business Week | |
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Members of DSD’s Development Process Team will present two webinars for small business owners during Austin Small Business Week.
The Commercial Development Process: From Start to Finish: Attendees will learn about the full commercial development process from start to finish, including Zoning, Subdivision, Site Plan, Building Plan Review, Permit Activations, and Inspections.
Monday, May 1, 2023, 2 – 3 p.m. Register here.
What to Know Before You Buy or Lease: Attendees will learn information that will help inform decisions before buying or leasing a commercial property and share interactive tools to help navigate the development process.
Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 2 – 3 p.m. Register here.
Learn more about this year’s Austin Small Business Week activities here.
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Restored Forest Reflects Austin's Commitment to Equity and Sustainability | |
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The restoration of a former City of Austin landfill to an urban forest oasis highlights the potential benefits of putting Urban Forest Grants to work in the Austin community. Ecology Action, a local nonprofit, used grant funding to make Roy G. Guerrero River Metro Park a prime example of both sustainability and equity, providing usable natural space in the Montopolis area near the Colorado River. More about this project is featured in a recent Nature in the City blog.
Urban Forest Grants, administered by DSD, help fund community-driven projects that support Austin’s healthy tree canopy, primarily using mitigation funds from the removal of regulated trees for development projects. The program considers funding twice annually for eligible projects submitted by organizations or motivated individuals. In the most recent cycle, the program awarded $1.2 million for 11 projects. Since they began in 2009, Urban Forest Grants have provided about $5 million for community-based projects that support Austin’s healthy tree canopy goals. Applications for the next grant funding cycle are due July 1.
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Dust Off Your Air Quality Knowledge
A message from the City of Austin Office of Sustainability
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According to the Austin Climate Equity Plan, “buildings in Austin are responsible for about 50% of our emissions.” In an effort to address emissions, the City has outlined the following goals by 2030:
- All new buildings are net-zero carbon, emissions from existing buildings are reduced by 25%, and all natural gas-related emissions are reduced by 30%.
- Community-wide emissions from refrigerant leakage are reduced by 25%.
- The embodied carbon footprint of building materials used in local construction is reduced by 40%.
- A community-wide water demand of approximately 152,000 acre-feet per year is equitably achieved.
The City of Austin Office of Sustainability has also identified immediate measures to help control construction dust and protect the community including:
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