Acacia Cliffs Tenants Association is fighting to stop the displacement of residents and destruction of affordable housing.

The property owner has stated they will demolish Acacia Cliffs, a 290 unit affordable complex in West Austin, in two years to redevelop the property.

Tenants deserve ample relocation benefits and guaranteed income restricted housing at the redeveloped building.

Armbrust & Brown (the law firm representing the Developer Trammell Crow) has applied for DB90 zoning. DB90 is a zoning designation that allows building 90 feet high (30 feet above the standard code), in exchange for 10-12% of the new units designated as affordable to people earning 50-60% MFI and below. The developer has proposed to replace the existing units with 750 units, the majority of which would be market rate units, unaffordable to the current tenants.

The owner/developer stands to profit greatly from obtaining this zoning change from City Council, but the relocation benefits required by law (4 months of rent and fees) are not enough to meet the needs of many of the tenants. Additionally, because the city does not require a one to one replacement of existing affordable units, this development will mean a net loss in affordable housing for Austin.

Acacia Cliffs residents are organizing to protect Acacia Cliffs AND affordable housing across Austin.

The developer is refusing to negotiate beyond the minimal assistance required by law. We need Council Members to POSTPONE the vote on June 5th to ensure that DB90 is fixed before any cases impacting affordable housing are voted on. City Council must amend the DB90 policy to stop making the destruction of affordable housing more profitable for developers. We also must create a fund to preserve affordable housing including Acacia Cliffs!

City Council could have made the tenant protections more robust when they wrote the policy, but they chose not to. The policy was written to prioritize developer profit over tenants’ rights. Austin City Council needs to stand up to the developer by postponing and voting NO.

Contact your council member today and tell them Acacia Cliffs tenants, and all tenants at risk of displacement by development, deserve more.

🎥 Check out our recent Instagram posts to watch resident testimonies.