The Austin Chamber applauds the release of the draft text of CodeNEXT. It is a necessary first step toward achieving a more affordable, mobile, and sustainable future for Austin. On behalf of the thousands of members we serve, we look forward to working with the Austin City Council and other community stakeholders to ensure the code reform process aligns with the timeline set by Mayor Adler: first reading by end of 2017 and final passage no later than April 2018.

While the draft release of CodeNEXT is an important step, we believe it is crucial for our community to understand that CodeNEXT is simply one of many tools needed to develop and implement the objectives of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan – our guiding policy document that was unanimously approved by City Council in 2012.

The large CodeNEXT draft released today represents countless hours of community input and staff time. Therefore, we will not rush to comment on the content before we have time to thoroughly digest the entire document. In the interim, we will be especially mindful of the following questions:

• Does this CodeNEXT draft streamline the entitlement process by resolving conflicting policies and simplifying permitting requirements?
• Does this CodeNEXT draft create more predictable outcomes that precludes every development approval from becoming a time-consuming negotiation?
• Does this CodeNEXT draft allow for the creation of the 15,000 new residential units per year necessary to keep up with the demand for housing and stem the out of control rise in housing costs?
• Does this CodeNEXT draft help mitigate sprawl and allow for high-capacity transit to become a more reliable, convenient, and cost-effective alternative to the single-occupancy vehicle?