What's New in South Austin: Neighborhood Update

LeRoy and Lewis: They are already known in the South Austin area for having a food truck at Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden and now LeRoy and Lewis is expanding to their first brick and mortar restaurant in February 2024. Self described as a combination of local sourcing, inventive barbecue, and old school hospitality, the existing food truck will keep serving deliciousness at Cosmic Coffee and the restaurant will be located at: 5621 Emerald Forest Dr, Austin, TX 78745.

New Tenants Coming to St. Elmo’s Market: What was originally planned to be an indoor-outdoor marketplace and dining destination, the newly developed location will now be home to Pins Mechanical and 16-Bit Arcade. Pins Mechanical will offer duckpin bowling, pinball machines, and other entertainment along with cocktails and beers and 16-Bit Arcade will feature free-to-play classic arcade games. The old-school entertainment is owned and operated by Rise Brands and set to open in Late 2024 at: 4323 South Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78745.

K Pot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot: In what looks to be the only hot pot restaurant in the South Austin area, K Pot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot opened a new location in Sunset Valley just in time for the winter weather. The menu combines traditional Asian hot pot with Korean BBQ flavors and the restaurant is located at: 5200 Brodie Ln, Sunset Valley, TX 78745.

New Development on Stassney: A proposed mixed-use development will include approximately 230 multifamily units with ground-floor commercial and retail space. According to the South Austin Neighborhood plan, these types of buildings can be about 5-stories in height. The plans call for ten percent of the units to be affordable housing and available to families earning 60%, or less, of the median family income. The development will have frontage along W Stassney Lane and the official address is 1210 Gobi Dr, Austin, TX 78745. 

Zoning and Code Changes: Austin City Council passed two code amendments that changed long standing rules around what types of homes can be built in Austin, and how much parking is required at developments of all kinds. Each of these changes is complex and is centered around the issue of housing affordability.

• The Home Options for Middle-Income Empowerment (HOME) Act was passed in December by a super majority vote of 9-2. This amendment gives homeowners additional flexibility and options by allowing up to three units per property in R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential zones. There are still site limitations, homeowners association and deed restrictions, tree regulations, and other restrictions in place that may impact a property’s ability to add housing units. The HOME Act also makes it easier to build and install tiny homes, as well as, creates preservation and sustainability bonuses to incentivize saving existing homes. The hope is that allowing for higher density development will lead to more homes being available, and if those homes are smaller, they should also be more affordable. 

• In November of 2023, city council continued making changes to regulations around parking and removed all references to minimum parking requirements, except for accessible spaces, found throughout the Land Development (Title 25) section of the City Code. A parking space in a surface lot can cost up to $10,000 to build and a parking space in a structured garage can cost up to $60,000 to construct. These construction costs are then passed on to the homeowners and tenants in the form of higher purchase prices and rents. By eliminating the parking requirements, developers can now build more units and at a lower cost per unit, which should promote greater affordability.  

Thanks for taking some time to learn what's new in South Austin. What other new restaurants, developments, or changes have you heard about in the South Austin area? Leave a comment below to let me know!