thanks to a 2017 council <\/a>resolution that exempts lemonade vendors from permit requirements, the city\u2019s land development code prohibits visible storefronts and signage for front yard businesses. But that\u2019s about to change \u2014 at least temporarily.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe council approved a resolution Thursday to create a pilot program to develop amendments to the city\u2019s land development code to ease restrictions on neighborhood commercial activity and establish residential-based businesses. After the first year of the program, the city manager will evaluate the initiative and advise the council on its success.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Jennifer Worth operates her business, Vintage Framing Studio, out of her home in East Austin, Thursday, March 26, 2026.<\/p>\n
Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Strong Local Commerce Initiative is about expanding real, practical opportunities for Austinites to start small businesses and generate income in their own communities,\u201d Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who proposed the initiative, said in a prepared statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Harper-Madison said she passed a small business resolution in 2024 that changed the city\u2019s permitting process to make it easier for small businesses to operate. She called the council\u2019s new initiative the next phase of that effort, focusing on creating a more accessible pathway for residents to start businesses in Austin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it has to do with individuals and all the people who are trying to stay inside the city that they love in the face of very substantial financial challenges for many of our households, in every single district, in this city,\u201d Council Member Krista Laine, who co-sponsored the initiative, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kelley Masters, board president of the nonprofit Homemade Texas, said home-based businesses serve as a launching pad for entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA big impediment to a successful cottage food business is actually finding a place to sell your food and finding people to buy your food,\u201d she said, adding that the council\u2019s new program \u201ccan help these cottage food producers get a foot in the door with their business and build it organically that way, before they branch out to maybe other opportunities outside their neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Worth said in an interview that beyond affordability, one of the biggest contributions small businesses make to the city is creating a walkable and community-centered space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Jennifer]()
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Jennifer Worth operates her business, Vintage Framing Studio, out of her home in East Austin, Thursday, March 26, 2026.<\/p>\n
Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gets people out walking and getting back [into] the neighborhood and talking to neighbors, which is what Austin was always about,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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But not everyone is on board with the proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m opposed to this item because of the increased hardships that are going to be generated in neighborhoods that don\u2019t have sidewalks and adequate pedestrian infrastructure,\u201d resident Sarah Faust said. \u201cWe know that retail businesses in neighborhoods will increase car traffic. The resolution purports to transform residential blocks into active pedestrian safe corridors but it doesn’t add any pedestrian safety measure or bike lanes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laine acknowledged concerns about traffic and infrastructure and said she plans to collaborate with the city manager and other council members to craft the best possible policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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City Manager T.C. Broadnax is expected to bring the council recommendations for city code amendments and an implementation plan within three months.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jennifer Worth measures art as she operates her business, Vintage Framing Studio, out of her home in East…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,1501,134,133,251,8002],"class_list":{"0":"post-235320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-city-council","10":"tag-austin-headlines","11":"tag-austin-news","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-policy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}