Remember the HOME initiative? Here's how many applications Austin received after 1 month

Late last year, you probably remember hearing a lot of buzz about the HOME initiative — a proposal to amend Austin's land development code to allow for up to three units on many lots in Austin and, eventually, to reduce the minimum square footage of single-family lots.

Part one of this plan, the three units per lot portion, passed with overwhelming support from the Austin City Council in December, and part two, reducing minimum lot sizes, is expected to be taken up this year.

The initiative, which was lauded by its supporters as a way to create more housing options for middle-income earners in Austin, caused quite the controversy at City Hall, with hours of public testimony from supporters and opponents who voiced concerns about displacement, specifically on the city's Eastern Crescent.

Read more: Will HOME initiative help Austin's housing affordability? Opinions split ahead of vote

Applications to build under phase one of the HOME initiative opened Feb. 5. The city's Development Services Department had received 12 applications to build under HOME phase one as of March 6, according to data provided by the department.

Lots of factors go into when people decide to build new units: planning these kinds of projects takes time, the housing market can influence decisions on when to build, and things such as homeowners association rules and deed restrictions trump city zoning ordinances, including the new initiative.

The 12 applications represent a snapshot of the early phases of the initiative.

Here's where people have applied to build in Austin under this new ordinance and what they are seeking to construct:

Where are people applying to build under the HOME initiative?

Of the 12 applications submitted in the HOME initiative's first month of existence, the most, five, are in District 1 in Northeast Austin. Three are in District 3, two in District 5 and one each in Districts 4 and 2.

What are people applying to build under the HOME initiative?

Albert Garcia, an Austin-based general contractor with a focus on residential construction and owner of Luna Homes, told the American-Statesman he wasn't sure what to think when he first learned about the HOME initiative.

"I saw the good and the bad," Garcia said, noting the opportunity for homeowners to further utilize their space but expressing concerns about developers scraping lots and building larger developments in primarily single-family residential areas.

"There's two sides to everything," he said. "What we're focusing on is basically allowing your middle-class average homeowner to be creative with their space and maximize their own property that they already own."

Garcia is the general contractor on an application for a 450-square-foot second unit in the backyard of a lot in Northeast Austin to be built under the HOME initiative. Renderings provided by Garcia of the proposed development show a studio-style living space with a kitchen and bathroom.

Garcia said he is also a builder for Anchored Tiny Homes, a company that builds accessory dwelling units and tiny homes.

He said he has about 15 clients under contract for similar ADUs and tiny homes who are working on finalizing the design plans to submit to the city under the HOME initiative, with another 30 to 40 clients in the works. These additional spaces could include guest houses, gyms, workspaces or "whatever people are needing in the back of their homes, or their existing properties."

All but one of the applicants are seeking to add one to three single-family units, according to the city's Development Services Department. One applicant wants to build a duplex on Hylawn Drive in Northeast Austin.

Two of the applications, including the one for a duplex, had previously been submitted to the city and were resubmitted under the HOME ordinance.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Here's what's being built under the HOME initiative in Austin so far