San Antonio Governance Committee Meeting: Missing Middle Housing Program - February 18, 2026
San Antonio Governance Committee Meeting: Missing Middle Housing Program - February 18, 2026
The Governance Committee met on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 10:06 AM to discuss a council consideration request (CCR) to create a program supporting and incentivizing missing middle housing development. The meeting included a staff presentation, sponsor remarks, and council discussion, culminating in approval of the staff's recommendation with additional considerations.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the previous month's meeting were approved unanimously without corrections.
Discussion Items
- Item 2: Council Consideration Request for Missing Middle Housing Program
- Veronica Garcia, Director of Neighborhood and Housing Services Department (NHSD), presented the CCR submitted by Councilwoman Core (District 1) on January 27, 2026, also supported by Districts 2, 4, 5, and 6. The request includes: pre-development assistance (identifying land), a single point of contact for technical assistance, permit-ready designs compliant with historic/conservation districts, additional fee waivers and incentives (SAWS Impact Fee waivers, city/county property tax abatements, grant funds or low-interest loans), and an annual training cohort for small-scale developers.
- Missing middle housing was defined as multi-unit housing types between single-family and large apartment complexes (duplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, bungalow courts, casitas).
- NHSD is working with a consultant to analyze barriers in the Unified Development Code (UDC) and coordinate with the Housing Commission's removing barriers subcommittee for the 2027 UDC amendment cycle.
- Councilwoman Core explained that missing middle housing addresses the gap between single-family homes and mid-rise projects, noting that families are moving out of the urban core due to limited housing options. She highlighted barriers such as form-based codes, inconsistent answers from Development Services Department (DSD), and the need for community education.
- Mayor expressed philosophical questions about resource allocation, noting the city foregoes significant property tax revenue and emphasizing the need for the right mix of housing types and locations to meet density goals for projected growth (city the size of Austin by 2050). He asked about state legislative changes; staff noted no single-family-specific changes but highlighted commercial-to-residential conversion possibilities.
- Councilmember McKee Rodriguez emphasized prioritizing deeply affordable housing but supported exploring incentives and technical assistance.
- Councilmember Mungia suggested targeting the program to the "donut" area inside Loop 410, noting it suits older neighborhoods but not newer subdivisions. He also raised the potential to serve special populations (people with disabilities, young professionals, LGBTQ community).
- Garcia noted most other cities did not create separate financial incentives but began with zoning updates and streamlining permits; they are exploring density bonuses for deeper affordability.
- The mayor asked about rental vs. homeownership mix, quality of construction, and aesthetic standards, citing examples of poorly built missing middle housing that remained vacant.
Key Outcomes
- The committee approved the staff recommendation (motion and second) with additional tasks, including studying barriers, developing recommendations, and presenting to the Planning Community Development Committee at a future meeting. The motion passed unanimously (all ayes, no opposed).
- The next steps include continued analysis of UDC barriers, coordination with the SHIP refresh, and consideration of incentives, with a focus on by-right development, targeted geographic areas, and quality standards.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The time is now 1006 a.m. on Wednesday, February 18th, 2026, and the meeting of the governance committee is now called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember Mickey Rodriguez. Councilmember Via Gran. Councilmember Mungia. Present. Mayor Jones. Here. Mayor, we have a quorum. Great, thanks. First item on the agenda is approval of the minutes. Are there any corrections to the minutes from last month? Hearing none, may I have a motion and a second to approve the minutes? Motion to approve. Okay. Great. We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Okay, great. Motion carries. Um we do or do not have members of the public here to speak. We do not. Okay. Um we'll move on to the action items. Madam Clerk, please read the caption for item two. Item two is a council consideration request by councilmember SOCOR, District One, to create a program to support and incentivize missing middle housing development. Um so we'll get the staff presentation and then we'll hear from the sponsoring um council member. Go ahead. Okay. Veronica Garcia. Great director of neighborhood and housing services department. Today we are going over a CCR on supporting and incentivizing missing middle housing. The CCR was submitted on January 27th by Councilwoman Core, and it's also supported by Council Districts 2, 4, 5, and 6. And the request is to look at the creation of a program which would support the development and possible incentives for missing middle housing within the city. The request includes multiple recommendations. The first is creating helping with pre-development assistance for developers to identify land. The second is to create a single point of contact within the city to provide that technical assistance for this type of housing. The third is to look at creating permit ready designs that would include options compliant with historic and conservation districts. Next, we're asked to look at additional fee waivers and other incentives from the city, which may include SAWS Impact Fee waivers, city and county property tax abatements, as well as possible grant funds or low interest loans. Finally, we were asked to consider developing an annual training cohort or mentorship program for specifically for small scale developers. Missing middle housing is a range of multi-unit housing types, really between single-family housing and large multi-family apartment complexes. Missing middle housing can include everything from duplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, bungalow courts, and yes, even casitas. These homes are compatible in scale with single family homes and they provide more affordable diverse housing options that support walkable neighborhoods as well as retail and public transit. The neighborhood housing services, our team is currently working with the consultant to help identify and define the barriers of missing middle housing development. This analysis will look at barriers that are in the unified development code to help help prevent creating these housing types more easily. We're working now with local developers to better understand what the current code limitations and challenges may be.
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