AIA Austin Advocacy Update – July 2026
BREAKING NEWS! The Austin City Council passed the Housplex Amendment that will allow up to four dwelling units to be permitted under the IRC! Read our Letters of Support to find out more, and stay tuned for updates from the AIA Advocacy Commission coming soon.
The monthly Advocacy Update summarizes the advocacy efforts of AIA Austin, led by the Advocacy Commission and its three Tactical Committees.
The Advocacy Commission coordinates systematic efforts to promote our expertise and identify audiences, venues, and mediums to advance the values of our organization. To get involved, please join the committee email list(s) using the links below.
2026 Public Role & Advocacy Commissioner: Jason John Paul Haskins, AIA
ADVOCACY TACTICAL COMMITTEES AT-A-GLANCE
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FROM AIA NATIONAL
Potential Changes to the National Historic Preservation Act
Late on Friday, July 17, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) circulated a near-complete draft of a sweeping rewrite of the regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act to Council members and requested a vote by Friday ,July 24. These regulations govern how federal agencies consider impacts to historic properties during project planning and delivery.
The draft would shift decision shift decision-making authority almost entirely to federal agencies, limit or eliminate the role of State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs), and local governments in shaping outcomes, curtail public participation and remove preservation organizations and community stakeholders from formal consultation roles.
AIA is actively coordinating with national partners and preparing advocacy and legal strategies, immediate congressional engagement is critical.
Take Action: Email your Members of Congress and urge them to weigh in with ACHP.
We are urging Congress to exercise oversight and call on ACHP to pause or delay any vote or implementation of this proposal to allow for appropriate review and stakeholder input.
AIA AUSTIN ADVOCACY RECOMMENDS
DESIGN EXCELLENCE CONFERENCE + BEC SYMPOSIUM
August 27-28
Commons Conference Center
Under the theme FLUID, AIA Austin’s Design Excellence Conference includes many sessions presented or organized by our Advocacy Committee members, plus a few more we highly recommend on topics that our Tactical Committees are deeply engaged with:
- Antitrust Law, Construction Consolidation, and the Fight for Neighborhood-Scale Architecture
- Design for Decarbonization
- Designing for What’s Next: AEGB’s Updated Residential Ratings
- Letting the Land Lead: How Site Cues Inform Design
- New frontiers in Building Code Reform across Texas
- Together We Adapt: Architects, Allies, and the Networks That Make Cities Resilient
- Water Resilience: Big Picture – Flooding, Drought, and Land Scaping
- Water Resilience: Opportunities for On-site Water Reuse
- Water Resilience: Source & Re-Source
- What Water Do: Budgeting Building Moisture in Humid Climates
- Why Advocacy Matters for Decarbonization of Buildings?
VIEW DESIGN EXCELLENCE CONFERENCE DETAILS & REGISTER HERE
ADS PERMIT REVIEW ESCALATION MEMO
In consultation with Austin Development Services (ADS, formerly DSD), the AIA Austin Advocacy Committee has put together a memo outlining best practices for escalation when issues come up during permit review and other ADS processes. We hope this guidance will help our members navigate difficult processes and better serve our clients.
COMMITTEE INITIATIVES
Housing Advocacy
Focuses on zoning reforms and legislative fixes to improve housing stock and preservation.
Wins
- Houseplex passes on 23 July! The scope of the resolution grew to not just include up to four units in the IRC, but to also look for ways of reducing IBC requirements for buildings up to 16 units.
READ AIA AUSTIN’S JULY LETTER TO AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL HERE>>
Active Priority Issues
- City-wide Density Bonus
- Houseplex
- Missing Middle and Mixed Use Zoning
- Looking at State Bills for next session
- Setback Reform
Tracking Issues
- Review of proposed legislation for next state lege session
- 2026 Housing Bond Election
- Austin Housing Department / AHFC Monitoring and Compliance
- STR Regulations
- SMART Housing Updates
- Affordability Unlocked Updates
- AffordabilityImpact Statements
- Green Social Housing
- Elevator Reform
Resiliency & Climate Response
Addresses environmental impact, resource management, and climate-conscious design standards.
Wins
- Lots of intersectionality going on with other committees and organizations!
- Water: track of four presentations for DEC
Active Priority Issues
- PDC Tour July 29 (see Events, below)
- Barton Springs Bridge
- FAR definition
Tracking Issues
- Barton Springs Bridge – Env Comm recommended Council reconsider demolition
- Bird Friendly Design recommendations & COA adoption
- Deconstruction ordinance strategies and policy
- Dogs Head annexation – impacts to ecological health, flooding, and other
- South MoPac – impacts to aquifer recharge and other
Mobility Advocacy
Focuses on transportation infrastructure, pedestrian-friendly streets, and major urban corridor planning.
Wins
- Downtown Density Bonus Program’s Urban Design Standards: City will re-engage AIA Austin and other stakeholders to refine standards
- I-35 Cap & Stitch: City funding secured for roadway elements of 14-acre vision
- Streetscape Standards Update Resolution passed by Council
- Barton Creek Road Bridge: Proposed demolition delayed due to significant pushback and proposed landmarking of the bridge
Active Priority Issues
- Great Streets Update and Streetscape Standards TCM Implementation
- I-35 ROW / Frontage Road Design Improvements
Tracking Issues
- City’s 2026 Bond Package
- Dog’s Head Planning (ASMP Revision and Development Regulations)
- Project Connect (Austin Light Rail)
- ACT Plan Implementation and Two-Way Reversions
- Central City District Plan
- MoPac South Expansion
- East 51st Street Project
GET INVOLVED
There are many ways to get involved in advocacy with AIA Austin, from listening in on committee meetings or just reporting issues to working on tactical committee issues or giving public testimony. We encourage anyone to explore advocacy, regardless of experience or time available. To get started, consider joining a Tactical Committee, attending an event, or engaging with one of these current opportunities:
- SUBMIT AN ISSUE: AIA Austin Advocacy Intake Form – Please tell us what you are concerned about in local government and the built environment.
- SIGN UP AS AN AIA AUSTIN SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. Are you interested in assisting with advocacy and outreach but don’t have time to join a committee? Looking for a way to share your expertise and experience with other members and the general public? Sign up as a Subject Matter Expert to let us know your interests and areas of expertise, and we will contact you when requests for experts on your topics when they come up.
- TACKLE URGENT ISSUES WITH AIA NATIONAL: Your voice matters! AIA speaks directly with lawmakers, manages coalition partners, makes statements, gives testimony, and organizes official public comments, but we also need the voice of constituents speaking to their lawmakers, explaining why these policies matter at home. That’s where you come in. Visit the AIA Action Center to find ways to push forward the policies important to you.
ADVOCACY EVENTS
JULY 23
Austin City Council Passes Houseplex Amendment!
For more information about Houseplex, read AIA Austin’s February letter of support for this concept here.
JULY 29
Resiliency Advocacy x COTE: Austin’s Permitting and Development Center Tour
This building tour course will walk attendees through both the public facing aspects of this design and the hidden systems like Texas’ first blackwater reclamation system and two cisterns for potable water reduction.Tour will be led by Robert Stefani and Kalpana Sutaria from the City of Austin.
Noon-1:30 at City of Austin PDC
$5 AIA Members/$20 Non-members
1 LU/HSW
MORE INFO & REGISTER HERE
SEPT 14
Save the Date: Candidate Forum
Presented by AIA Advocacy and Austin Housing Coalition. Candidates for the open City Council seats will share their positions on various issues related to housing affordability, planning, and development.
5:00-8:00pm at Assembly Hall
Free
REGISTRATION OPENING SOON