A proposed apartment complex that would bring affordable apartments to Southwest Austin is moving ahead, gaining city approvals over the summer in the face of significant pushback over environmental and traffic concerns.
Manifold RE is moving forward with the development of Sunset Ridge, a 20-acre, 444-unit apartment complex that would include more than 200 affordable units.
The property at 8413 Southwest Parkway has been zoned for office use and largely undeveloped, according to Community Impact story. The eight-building residential project was proposed under Austin’s Affordability Unlocked program, CI reported, meaning some development rules can be relaxed if a significant amount of the housing is reserved for lower-income tenants.
Sunset Ridge was approved for $8,885,000 in General Obligation Bonds in a 2022 bond election. Funding will go toward development costs for 222 multifamily residential units. The property is owned and operated by Manifold and has a 40-year affordability period requirement. Construction completion is anticipated for December 2026, with an anticipated move-in for February 2027.
The complex would have 100 units available for rent to households earning at or below 50 percent of the area’s median family income, 76 units at 60 percent MFI or below, and 45 units at 80% MFI or less.
City Council members voted in May to amend a restrictive covenant on the land to allow for the large-scale housing development and to use the 2022 housing bond funding to support the project's financing, CI reported.The Planning Commission approved project plans under the city’s Hill Country Roadway rules designed to protect West Austin’s scenic highways, according to the article.
Multiple neighborhood groups and homeowners associations oppose the development, citing about traffic and safety issues along Southwest Parkway, the project’s ecological and scenic impact, the complex’s size and compliance with city rules including the Hill Country Roadway ordinance; and the placement of multifamily housing in the area at all, CI reported.
Sunset Ridge would be one of the few affordable projects in Southwest Austin, with much of city’s income-restricted housing located east of MoPac on relatively cheaper and less environmentally sensitive land.
