The rezoning request, which will now seek approval from City Council, passed 10-3 with Commissioners Azhar, Cox, and Mushtaler voting against. The item moved forward with a motion from Commissioner Anderson capping the maximum height of the project at 120 feet, with an impervious cover limit of 75 percent — the site’s current zoning allows a maximum of 80 percent. Commissioner Shaw added an amendment requesting a 60 foot setback from the southern property line, in response to concerns from area neighborhood groups that the development would impact the Colorado River Park Wildlife Sanctuary located between the Borden site and the river.

As part of the development agreement, 10 percent of the project’s residential units or roughly 140 homes will be designated as affordable housing, though the precise rates of income restriction are still undefined and could target incomes at or below either 60 or 80 percent of the regional Median Family Income. As part of the agreement, the developers will also provide a donation to the anti-displacement nonprofit East Austin Conservancy, the amount of which will be based on the final MFI target of the project’s on-site affordable units — about $630,000 if the units are offered at 60 percent MFI and increasing to roughly $1,260,000 if the units are offered at 80 percent MFI.