Opinion: Minimum Lot Size Reform CAN Make Austin’s Housing More Affordable

Next week, Austin City Council will consider policy that would reduce the city’s minimum lot size requirements. These choices will determine how Austin manages its rapid growth, what kind of housing can be built, and who can afford to call Austin home. Austin, a city synonymous with live music, lush green trails, and vibrant culture, has also been defined by skyrocketing housing prices.

For too many Black and Hispanic Austinites, high costs can mean homeownership and even rent are no longer affordable in the city. While the city of Austin has grown as a whole over the past decade, Austin’s Black population dropped from 8% of the population in 2010 to 7% in 2020, and the Hispanic population dropped from 35% to 32%.

Austin does not need to look far to see the success of minimum lot size reform in lowering costs and reducing displacement of vulnerable populations. Houston reduced its minimum lot size from 5,000 to 1,400 square feet in the central city in 1998 and expanded the policy to cover the entire city in 2013. Houston’s changes meant that people weren’t forced to buy more land than they wanted or could afford and made the smaller lots viable for townhouses.

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