Overview

Missing middle and mixed-use buildings form the foundation of walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods in cities across the country and worldwide. In Austin, these types of development are not encouraged by the city's Land Development Code. This has contributed to Austin growing in a way where many residents live far from where they work, play, and access goods and services, and where housing choices are mainly limited to single-family homes or large apartment complexes.

The Missing Middle and Mixed-Use Zoning Study is intended to evaluate Austin's existing zoning toolbox and identify opportunities to create new zoning tools that better achieve City policy goals related to developing a complete, connected city with a broader range of housing types. The study focuses on two significant areas with opportunity for improvement:

1. Creation of new zoning tools that will better support transit-oriented mixed-use development.
2. Creation of new zoning tools that will better support development of new types of medium-density housing, sometimes referred to as “missing middle” housing, which includes townhomes, cottage courts, and small multi-unit buildings.

For more information on the study's recommendations for missing middle and mixed-use zoning districts, click the Recommendations tab or read the study summary and full study by clicking on the links in the Documents sidebar.

Background

Within the past three years, City Council and land use commissions have initiated or recommended several amendments to the Land Development Code to address the need for zoning that supports missing middle and mixed-use development:

Code amendments initiated by City Council

• Housing Options for Mobility and Equity (HOME) – Resolution No. 20230720-126 — Initiated July 2023
• Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Amendments – Resolution No. 20230309-016 — Initiated March 2023
• Single-Family Ownership Bonus Program – Resolution No. 20230608-040 — Initiated June 2023
• Coffee Shops in Residential Areas – Resolution No. 20251009-024 — Initiated October 2025

Code amendments initiated by Planning Commission

• Town Zoning — Initiated April 2023
• Restrict Noxious Land Uses — Initiated November 2022
• Expand Non-Residential Use Allowances in Mixed-Use Zoning — Recommended October 2025

Code amendments recommended by Zoning and Platting Commission (ZAP) and Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee (COJC)

• Restrict Some Commercial Uses on Imagine Austin Corridors — Recommended for initiation in October 2024 by ZAP and in December 2024 by Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee
• Allow Some Commercial Uses in Residential Zones — Recommended for initiation in December 2024 by ZAP and Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee

To effectively respond to these separate policy directions, Austin Planning staff recommends creating new base zoning districts that permit a range of missing middle and mixed-use buildings, as outlined in the study. Should Council choose to initiate Land Development Code amendments based on the study, staff would engage community stakeholders and conduct additional analysis and testing before bringing back a detailed proposal by the end of 2026.

Case Manager Contact

Jonathan Lee, Austin Planning, jonathan.lee@austintexas.gov

Jordan Feldman, Austin Planning, jordan.feldman@austintexas.gov