Demand No More PUDs in the South-Central Waterfront

We need Council to prioritize parks, the lake, and affordable housing!

The South Central Waterfront District is just to the south of Lady Bird Lake from Downtown Austin, near South First and Congress Avenue. This area stands at a crossroads, and we need your help to get the City of Austin back on the correct path. The South Central Waterfront Vision Framework Plan (“Vision Plan”), approved in 2016, set forth a bold vision: a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood with interconnected public spaces, significant parkland, and at least 20% of all new housing units reserved as income-restricted, affordable homes. 
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Yet, there is still no regulating plan for the area. In the meantime, developers have been rushing to get approvals for “Planned Unit Development” zoning to pre-empt the regulating plan. The current approach to PUDs in this area is undermining these goals and threatening the very character of Lady Bird Lake as a natural oasis in the heart of Austin.

There’s a resolution on the July 24, 2025, Austin City Council agenda (Item #121), to discuss what to do about these PUDs. But, as drafted, the resolution doesn’t really solve the problem. We need your help to speak up to demand an end to bypassing the community’s vision.

Despite the clear mandate for affordable housing, none of the PUDs approved in the South-Central Waterfront District to date have required the creation of on-site affordable housing. Instead, developers have been granted waivers from the requirements of the PUD zoning code, allowing them to build higher and denser projects without providing the affordable homes our community desperately needs. The resolution currently under consideration continues to allow fee-in-lieu payments and continued waivers to the requirements, rather than mandating on-site affordable housing.

Likewise, these PUDs are encroaching upon the setbacks established by the Waterfront Overlay. These setbacks are essential for maintaining public access and views of Lady Bird Lake and for protecting the riparian areas and dense tree canopies that line its shores. These riparian areas help provide natural filtering of pollution and sediment of stormwater runoff before it hits the lake. They also help stabilize the shoreline, provide habitat for urban wildlife, and ensure the ecological health of the entire lake. When these setbacks are compromised, we risk losing the natural beauty and environmental benefits that make Lady Bird Lake one of Austin’s most cherishes resources.
The current resolution fails to restore or enforce these setbacks, and it does not require developers to comply with a regulating plan that would guarantee the creation of new parkland and the delivery of affordable housing as envisioned in the Vision Plan. 

Now is the time for action. We urge you to write to the Austin City Council and demand that they:

1. Restore the Full Setbacks of the Waterfront Overlay to protect public access, preserve views, and enhance the riparian zones of Lady Bird Lake.
2. Require all new developments in the South-Central Waterfront District to compy with a regulating plan that delivers on the promises of the Vision Framework, including the creation of significant new parkland and at least 20% income-restricted affordable housing—on-site, not just through fee-in-lieu payments.
3. Stop approving new PUDs and consider rezoning existing PUDs that do not meet these standards, to ensure that the district develops in a way that benefits all Austinites, not just developers.
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The future of Lady Bird Lake depends on the actions—or lack of actions—that we take today. Let’s make sure that the City Council’s actions match their words and ensure that the South Central Waterfront is accessible, affordable, and ecologically vibrant for generations to come. 
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Write to City Council and demand real action—restore the setbacks, enforce the vision, and protect Lady Bird Lake!
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