T5MS

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T5MS is one of the proposed new form-based transect zones -- it is a moderate/high intensity T5 zone and a Main Street form zone. It allows six-story "main street" and "midrise" buildings, generally with a retail/commercial use in the ground floor and residential or office above. In its "open" subzone, T5MS.O, it allows the ground floor to be residential as well. Examples of typical buildings include the Burnet Flats and the AMLI on Burnet, the Mosaic at Mueller, and many other vertical mixed-use buildings along major corridors in Austin. Much of South Lamar has been mapped with this zone, matching most of the recent construction there. It is described in full at 23-4D-2180 (this is page 178 of the draft 1 "Zoning Code" PDF of 23-4 and page 95 of 24D-2).

T5MS is one of the zones that "bakes in" a modified -- and much more reasonable -- version of Austin's infamous "compatibility" standards. Floors 4, 5, and 6 will have to be set back 50' from any adjacent low/medium-intensity residential zone.

Generally, this is a great zone. We would like to see it mapped more places, especially major corridors like the already-commercial parts of Guadalupe, Burnet, North Lamar, and South 1st. Additionally, many large commercial shopping centers (Hancock Center, parts of Airport Blvd, some of North Lamar) are zoned in a way that doesn't allow residential in addition to their existing uses. Zoning these T5 or similar would allow most of the same ground-floor uses, in addition to five stories of residential above them.

Problems

  • Six stories is a bit shorter than might be best in some of the places this is mapped; it would be good to have a "T5+" that allows, say, 10-12 stories in some of the places on major corridors where that would be appropriate.

Specifications

Max Footprints
Allowed Form Min. Lot Dims Min Lot Size Ground Upper Floor Max u/ac Max Stories Max Sq. Footage Max u/ac Max FAR Impervious Cvr Building Cvr
Main Street 40x100 4000 275x100 150x65** 275* 6 75 85 102000 25.5 0.9 0.95
Live/Work 18x100 1800 275x100 150x65** 220* 4 50 60 102000 56.67 0.9 0.95
Mid-Rise 75x100 7500 275x275 150x65 275* 6 75 85 246375 32.85 0.9 0.95

Recommendations

- Use this instead of SC-L, Hancock Center's CS-CO-NP, etc. Put it on the map where intensive commercial uses, especially "big box" retail, are already permitted. There is no excuse for it not to be on "the Drag" portion of Guadalupe across from UT.

- Add a more intensive version ("T5MC for "major corridor"?) that allows 10-12 stories; put that on the map in places surrounded by other T5U/T5MS or by light industrial (North Burnet, near Crestview Station, Guadalupe across from UT, maybe some parts of ERC or West Campus, maybe central portions of large T5MS blocks like Highland Mall, etc)

- Allow ground floor residential in the main zone, not just the Open subzone

- Reduce or eliminate the parking requirements