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As you know, the City unsuccessfully tried to change the code, what do you believe needs to be done differently to achieve a better code? Will you support working to revise the land development code to provide and allow for predictability and deep affordability? (Y/N; Explain)

Mariana Salazar

City Council, District 1

Yes. I came to Austin eleven years ago with my husband looking for a city where we could start our lives as a family. We have since made Austin our home, are raising our children in East Austin, and see ourselves growing old here. Since we moved to Austin, my parents and nephews have now joined us to live in this city. As an immigrant, I want a see a city that works for everyone and that can make room for new people like my family. I think the way the City and Council handled CodeNext was not effective in part because they oversold what it would do, presented a large document whose different draft versions ignored public input, and was too large for anyone to make sense of it. There are many reasons to criticize CodeNext as a process and as a product, but our current land development code is outdated and must be updated to meet the needs of our growing city and be able to grow in a more compact way to prevent further sprawl. Moving forward, I think the city needs to first set comprehensive policies to address the lack of affordable housing and economic displacement, and then pursue zoning changes in phases that complement the affordable housing/anti-displacement policies. Too much of the development has been happening in East Austin alone and, as a city, we have a responsibility to grow equitably. Multifamily development and affordable housing should be equitably distributed throughout all parts of the city. I think we can can facilitate construction of more units by removing barriers like minimum lot size and parking requirements. The city can upzone desired areas to vertical mixed use, can remove or reduce height restrictions around single family developments along Imagine Austin corridors. The city must also have a more time-efficient review process to reduce the burden on construction due to delays or long review time.