With our proximity to the many things that make Austin a unique and enjoyable city, West Austin is a desirable place to live. To make sure that West Austin continues to be a great place to live, raise a family, work, play and retire, we must work hard to protect this special part of Austin by balancing the interests of individual property owners with the interests and welfare of neighborhood residents and neighborhood life quality values. Any changes to existing zoning should be well thought out before enactment.

To allow appropriate neighborhood consideration of any rezoning or variance requests, WANG requests that neighbors seeking variance requests provide copies of all city documentation to the WANG Executive Committee at a regularly scheduled Executive Committee Meeting prior to their hearing by the Board of Adjustment. We have no choice but to oppose variance requests for which we have no details or documentation.

But please don’t assume that WANG is opposed to any and all change. Though it may come as a surprise to many, variance requests are granted in our neighborhood. With the many variance requests that are considered, WANG struggles mightily to decide what qualifies as acceptable or appropriate change for our neighborhood, and what is not. To that end, we have adopted and set forth below a set of Zoning Guidelines for Variance Requests.

Zoning Guidelines for Variance Requests

Barring extenuating circumstances, WANG’s Executive Board adheres to the following position statement:

WANG requests that neighbors seeking variance requests provide copies of all city documentation to the WANG Executive Committee at a regularly scheduled Executive Committee Meeting prior to their hearing by the Board of Adjustment. We have no choice but to oppose variance requests for which we have no details or documentation.

WANG will oppose any variance requests seeking to increase the impervious cover limits.

WANG will oppose fence height variance requests.

WANG will support neighbors in their opposition to variance requests by proximate neighbors.

WANG will oppose variance requests in the case of egregious violations of city codes (e.g. knowingly building the incursion then applying for the variance).

In instances in which we do not receive sufficient notification of variance requests, WANG requests that neighbors agree to postpone their hearing pending review of their request by the WANG Executive Committee at our regularly scheduled monthly meeting. If agreement to postpone is not granted, WANG would be forced to oppose the variance request.

These guidelines are not intended to list all possible variance scenarios that can arise. However, they do address areas of primary concern for our neighborhood, and we want to be sure that you are aware of these guidelines in case you are considering developing your property.