NHM Motion Sheet HPC: 4.23.24 Page 1 of 3 Housing and Planning Committee 1 Recommendation for Council Action No. 1 2
WHEREAS, an Agrihood is a planned community that 3 integrates agriculture into a residential neighborhood; and 4
WHEREAS, agrihoods facilitate food production as well as provide green space, 5 recreation, aesthetics and value for a community; and 6
WHEREAS, the Urban Land Institute defines agrihoods as 7 "single-family, multifamily, or mixed-use communities built with a working farm 8 or community garden as a focus;” and 9
WHEREAS, there are numerous examples from around the county of 10 agrihoods being developed in cities; and 11
WHEREAS, in Austin, there are opportunities to utilize some of the last 12 remaining farm properties for agrihoods that focus on affordable housing and 13 improved food access; and 14
WHEREAS, in the draft Austin Travis County Food Plan, 15 the Community Advisory Committee is proposing the inclusion of a Strategy that specifically 16 supports ‘agrihoods’ (Goal 1: Strategy 1.2); and, 17
WHEREAS, best practice points to a need for policy changes to 18 allow incentives for farmer-informed agricultural components, incentives for developers 19 in the design of a community, and public funding to support mixed-use affordable 20 residential, commercial, and agricultural; and 21
WHEREAS, possible partners for any local program to support agrihoods 22 include existing farm owners/ farmers, affordable housing developers, 23
NHM Motion Sheet HPC: 4.23.24 Page 2 of 3
property management companies, urban farm consultants, school districts, land conservation organizations, 24 and City and Travis County (“County”) staff; NOW, 25
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSING AND 26 PLANNING COMMITTEE: 27 The Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the City Council 28 direct the City Manager to investigate whether there are existing impediments to 29 agrihood development and best practices for programmatic support or local funding 30 in order to achieve agrihoods that are comparable to those in other parts of 31 the country. 32
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: 33 The Housing and Planning Committee recommends the City Council direct 34 the City Manager to explore the use of agrihoods as a pilot program in the 35 North East Planning District (NEPD), given its unique mixture of public land assets, 36 existing farmland, collaborative planning between the County and the City, and the 37 existence of the City’s only current agrihood. 38
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: 39 The Housing and Planning Committee recommends the City Council direct 40 the City Manager to explore additional ways to provide local support for 41 agrihoods. At a minimum, the City Manager should explore: 42 1. the feasibility of adopting a zoning typology for the agrihoods concept, 43 2. the availability of local or State tax incentives, 44 3. the availability of partnerships with Federal agencies and 45 congressional offices, 46 4. options to collaborate with the County on agrihood development, 47
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5. the creation or curation of an agrihoods dashboard that tracks potential sites, 48 needs, and opportunities for agrihoods within the combined City-County geography 49 and establishes metrics for any future agrihoods considerations, 50 and 51 6. increased programmatic support for the Sustainability Office and other 52 City staffing related to agrihoods. 53 54
ADOPTED: , 2024 ATTEST: _______________________ 55 Myrna Rios 56 City Clerk 57