Austin, TX Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

" To make that determination, an applicant must submit "a schematic level site plan, building elevations, and other drawings, simulations or other documents necessary to fully describe the urban design character of the project and relationship of the project to its surroundings," and the Design Commission reviews the submission and makes a recommendation the director must consider. Beyond design review, the same Gatekeeper Requirements force a streetscape commitment: the applicant must execute a restrictive covenant to build streetscape improvements along every public street frontage consistent with the Great Streets Standards, or, for property fronting a Texas Department of Transportation road, pay a fee-in-lieu plus a one-time maintenance fee set by separate ordinance.

A third gatekeeper item requires a signed commitment to at least a two-star rating under the Austin Energy Green Building program before any bonus area can be approved. If a building's design changes after a bonus is granted, the director must re-review the new design for substantial compliance with the Urban Design Guidelines before a building permit can be approved, and an applicant denied at the gatekeeper stage may appeal to city council within 30 days of the director's denial under Section 25-2-282 and Section 25-2-283 procedures.