Building Connections Wins National Awards

This month, Building Connections won a first-place award in its category for e-newsletters from the City-County Communications & Marketing Assocation (3CMA). 3CMA’s Savvy Awards competition honors excellence in local government communications and is judged by local government professionals and individuals from professional, consulting, and academic communities across the country. This year there were more than 875 entries in 38 categories. Thank you for your continued support of this newsletter, and congratulations to our team on their achievement. 



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DSD in the News for Archistar Pilot

Last month, we shared with you that we will be working with Archistar, a leading innovator in architectural artificial intelligence (AI), to test new technology that has the potential to transform building plan reviews. On Sept. 20, Archistar announced this pilot, which will use AI to assess planning rules and restriction on land plots.  

Archistar Founder and CEO Dr. Ben Coorey said: "Archistar is proud to work with the City of Austin on an important initiative that has the potential to speed up the building plan review process associated with checking rigorous planning and zoning laws, while ensuring the highest building and design standards are maintained." 

This pilot project will help to develop and evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of the product for Austin, which is the first city in the United States to partner with Archistar. Read the whole story on PR Newswire.  

Changes Coming to the AB+C Portal

The Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) online portal provides a valuable service for customers to apply for permits, schedule inspections, pay fees, upload project attachments, and more. The City of Austin’s vision for the AB+C Portal is to have it evolve to match the needs of the Austin community. The Communications and Technology Management Department is now in the process of a complete upgrade of the portal, which is planned to launch this December. As this project moves forward, we will share project updates on our webpage. 

FY 2024 Budget Keeps Most Fees Steady, Invests in Process Improvements 

Austin City Council's approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget goes into effect on Oct. 1. This is the first City budget after Development Services and Austin Code merged earlier this year. This $109M budget will be invested in the safety of our built environment, the community, and our continued efforts to improve the development process from start to finish.   

DSD will keep event permitting and development-related fees flat in FY 2024, with few exceptions. Notably, the department’s portion of the City’s Clean Community Fee will decrease by 5 cents per month, from $4.75 to $4.70. This fee, paid by all utility customers in Austin, helps to pay for some communitywide Code Compliance and Austin Resource Recovery services. Several Code Compliance fees will be changing, and those details will be available on the DSD Fees webpage when the FY 2024 begins on Oct. 1. 

Additionally, DSD’s approved budget included support for short- and long-term development process improvements, as we work to implement recommendations from McKinsey & Company’s report presented to Austin City Council in late August. These action items focus on improving turnaround times in site plan review and investing in the experience with the development process as a whole. We will continue to keep you, the community, informed as we improve our services while staying committed to quality and efficiency.  

For more information about the City of Austin’s FY 2023-24 Budget, visit Austin Finance Online. 

Two Virtual Stakeholder Meetings Coming this October

Join us for two virtual stakeholder meetings this October. These meetings will include updates on a variety of development topics, and an opportunity to ask questions about City development services. 

• Site/Subdivision Plan Review & Inspections – Oct. 17, 2-3:30 p.m
• Building Plan Review & Inspections – Oct. 30, 2-3:30 p.m.



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, soon. 

Changes to the Taps Process Beginning Oct. 1

Beginning Oct. 1, the DSD Service Center will no longer verify Taps permits have been paid before activating a building permit. This change will speed up activating the building permit, and you will still receive multiple reminders throughout the permitting process to pay your Taps fee. As a reminder, you cannot pass your final Austin Water inspection until the fee is paid. For any questions about Taps, please contact Austin Water. 

Register Now for Virtual Session about Recent Legislative Changes

Join us on Sept. 28 from 10-11:30 a.m. for a virtual session to learn more about the development-related effects of new laws passed by the 88th Texas Legislature. The focus will be specifically on HB 14 and HB 3699 and their impacts on the development process. Staff will explain changes already made to Title 25 and Title 30 of the Land Development Code, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions. Registration for this session is now open on Zoom.  

Visit our webpage for more information on development-related changes from the 88th Legislative Session.  

New Law to Change Calculations for Parkland Dedication Fees

A Message from Parks and Recreation

House Bill (HB) 1526, which concerns parkland dedication requirements in Austin and other Texas cities with populations greater than 800,000, requires changes to the parkland ordinance to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Under the new law, all land within the City’s municipal boundaries on or after Jan. 1, 2024, must be designated as suburban, urban, or central business district. These geographic areas will help determine average land value, which will then be used to define parkland fees. The Austin City Council will host a public hearing regarding the geographic designations at their Oct. 19 meeting. View the proposed designations at austintexas.gov/PLD. 

Permitting Webinar to Offer Guidance on New Onsite Water Reuse and Reclaimed Water Requirements

A Message from Austin Water

Austin Water invites you to a permitting webinar that will walk you through the permitting process for Onsite Water Reuse and Reclaimed Water Systems in new large commercial and multifamily developments. Austin City Council adopted Ordinance 20210930-117 in Sept. 2021 to advance water reuse strategies from the 2018 Water Forward Plan. This ordinance requires new commercial, multi-family and mixed-use site development permits with at least 250,000 square feet of gross floor area to incorporate onsite water reuse systems or reclaimed water systems beginning Dec. 1. The webinar will be available on Microsoft Teams.  

How to participate 

• Wednesday, Oct. 18, Noon – 1:30 p.m. Join Teams meeting here.   
• Teams Meeting ID: 298 917 451 151; Passcode: H2pVTf 
• Phone-only option: 512-831-7858; Passcode 459161983#; Conference ID: 459 161 983#  

A recording will be available on the Austin Water Onsite Water Reuse Systems webpage after the event. 

Attend Next Environmental Inspections Lunch and Learn on Oct. 5

The Environmental Inspection Division is holding its next Environmental Inspections Brown Bag Lunch and Learn on Oct. 5, from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m., at the Permitting and Development Center. Our Environmental Compliance Supervisor, Amanda Wyrick, will teach you about our services and the processes we use to review erosion and sediment control tools, construction site stabilization, water quality resources, tree protection, and environmental enforcement. This is an interactive session so questions are encouraged! Learn more about the session and register on Public Input. 

Growing a Better Community with Expanding Tree Canopy

Austin’s urban forest offers many tangible community benefits beyond aesthetic beauty. Thanks to the City’s preservation and protection efforts and widespread planting efforts by our partners at TreeFolks, Austin has increased its tree canopy coverage from 36% in 2018 to 41% in 2022!  

Austin's tree canopy is measured every four years by calculating the tree canopy area divided by land area. The City’s Climate Equity Plan includes a goal for the tree canopy to cover 50% of Austin by 2050. According to the DSD tree canopy story map, it is possible to exceed that goal if the 143,000 acres of additional plantable space in our City is used to its full potential and the existing canopy is maintained. With fall planting season on the way, City residents and Austin Energy customers can help by adding tree canopy on their property. Free trees are available through the NeighborWoods program. 

Citywide Roots & Wings Festival Returns in October

The Annual Roots & Wings Festival will kick off Oct. 18, and run through Nov. 5. The three-week celebration includes free, family-friendly events focused on honoring the urban forest and all the creatures who call it home. The goal of Roots & Wings is to foster opportunities for community members to connect more deeply to our city, our natural spaces and one another. 

You can find a comprehensive list of neighborhood activities throughout the city on the Roots & Wings Festival website. Continue growing your environmental appreciation after the festival by following Austin’s Nature in the City on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

New Grant Available to Assist Low-Income Homeowners

On Oct. 1, the Board of Adjustment (BOA) is launching a program to assist low-income homeowners by waiving City application fees for a residential zoning variance or special exception, for their residential homesteaded property, and providing access to pro-bono legal assistance in support of these applications, if needed. City Council has allocated $10,000 in funding for the first year of this program, which will allow it to serve up to 10 qualifying applicants this fiscal year. Acceptance is income-based with the goal of ensuring City fees are not a barrier for residents to have equal access to property enhancements compared to their neighbors. Recipients of the City of Austin Utilities Customer Assistance Program (CAP) will automatically pre-qualify for this new BOA grant program, all they need to do is show a recent utility bill. For more information, visit our website. 

Reminder: The Development Process Team is Here for You

If you need support through the permitting process, we have an answer for you. Our Development Process Team provides dedicated support to homeowners and small business owners by: 

• Providing information about the development process. 
• Offering a single point of contact for the duration of your project. 
• Connecting you with the right resources every step of the way. 

20-minute appointments are also available to answer high-level process questions. Visit the Development Process Team webpage for more information. 

Upcoming Dates

Virtual DSD Stakeholder Meeting on Legislative Changes –  Sept. 28 

FY 2024 Begins – Oct. 1 

Environmental Inspections Brown Bag Lunch & Learn – Oct. 5 

Tree Smart Brown Bag Lunch & Learn – Oct. 12 

Virtual DSD Stakeholder Meeting on Site/Subdivision Plan Review & Inspections – Oct 17 

Roots & Wings Festival – Oct. 18 – Nov. 5 

Virtual DSD Stakeholder Meeting on Building Plan Review & Inspections – Oct. 30 

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