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Smart Bylaws Guide – Smart Growth Matrix

City of Austin, Texas
Smart Growth Matrix process: www.ci.austin.tx.us/smartgrowth/matrix.htm

Smart Growth Matrix: www.ci.austin.tx.us/smartgrowth/smartmatrix.htm

The City of Austin identified the Desired Development Zone (DDZ) as the area of the City where future growth will occur. The DDZ includes the eastern two-thirds and most urbanized areas of Austin. The City of Austin developed the Smart Growth Matrix to assist City Council to analyze development proposals within the DDZ. It is designed to measure how well a development project meets the City's Smart Growth goals such as: 1) the location of development; 2) proximity to mass transit; 3) urban design characteristics; 4) compliance with nearby neighbourhood plans; 5) increases in tax base, and other policy priorities.

If a development project, as measured by the matrix, significantly advances the City's goals, financial incentives may be available to help offset the cost of developing in urban areas. These incentives may include waiver of development fees and public investment in new or improved infrastructure such as water and sewer lines, streets or streetscape improvements, or similar facilities. Incentives available under the Smart Growth Matrix require City Council review and approval. 

The detailed Matrix requires analysis and scoring of development proposals under the following criteria (total possible points for that criteria are indicated in parentheses):

• location (87);
• process (135);
• critical mass (density and employment) (24);
• land use (110);
• urban design (44);
• multi-modal transportation elements (134);
• parking (36);
• housing (40); 
• local economy (48); 
• sustainable building practices (35); and
• tax base enhancement (12).

The scoring is based not only on value, but most topics are given a weight depending on significance. For example, the topic of “Mixed-Use per Building – includes residential above first floor” is given a value of 4 but a weight of 5, while under “Compatibility with Surrounding Area – mechanical equipment screened where visible” receives a value of 1 and a weight of 2. For the most important factors, no weighting is involved and a maximum point value is simply assigned (for example “requires dialogue and support by adjacent neighbourhood”). The Matrix allows local governments, developers and citizens to generate a comprehensive snapshot of the impacts and benefits of proposed development.

The Smart Growth Matrix is a comprehensive tool for evaluating the impact of new developments. It is available in both pdf and excel format.