Austin Planning Commission to Vote on 22-Acre Mixed-Use Rezoning July 21

The Austin Planning Commission will consider a rezoning application on July 21 for 22 acres near the intersection of Lamar Boulevard and Koenig Lane that would replace single-family zoning with allowances for apartment buildings up to six stories and ground-floor retail.

Austin added 18,400 residents between 2024 and 2025 while building only 9,200 housing units, according to city demographer data released in May. The gap has pushed average rents in northern suburbs above $2,050 a month and left many longtime households priced out of neighborhoods that once offered starter homes under $400,000.

Local stakes in Allandale

The site sits two blocks from the Allandale Neighborhood Association offices on Burnet Road and within walking distance of the Brentwood Elementary School campus on West 51st Street. Both groups filed comments last month asking for traffic studies and limits on building height to protect the existing street grid that feeds into the nearby Central Market grocery store.

City records show the parcel changed hands in March for $14.2 million, or roughly $645,000 per acre, a price that reflects developer interest in the area’s proximity to the new CapMetro rail stop under construction at Koenig and Lamar.

Next steps for residents

Anyone who wants to speak at the July 21 hearing must register online through the city’s Planning Department portal by 5 p.m. on July 18. Staff will release a full traffic-impact analysis and recommended conditions on July 14 that will be posted on the city’s development services website.

Property owners within 500 feet of the site will receive mailed notices this week detailing how the change could affect their zoning rights and property taxes.