Last year, Taylor’s municipal government asked the public for guidance in what should be the future of the city, and now Hutto is doing the same.
Hutto Soar 2040, the city’s comprehensive plan process, currently seeks input in how to preserve Hutto’s heritage and values while also identifying strategies to enhance local quality of life. For more information and to submit input, visit https:// freese.mysocialpinpoint.com/ hutto2040/comprehensiveplan.
On Feb. 18, Hutto’s municipal government posted this news on its website in regards to comprehensive plan and to encourage residents to complete the survey.
Balanced growth on horizon
In many growing cities like Hutto, the typical development pattern is for commercial projects to follow residential growth.
Companies want to know there’ll be customers for their products and services, and that these customers will match their target audiences in terms of income, interests, and other data points. They also need to know that there will be sufficient employees with the right skillsets, and that transportation corridors will meet their needs.
The last comprehensive plan the Hutto community developed in 2012 determined where and how much residential growth would be permitted over the next several years. Now that this growth has materialized and then some, the community is asked to help the city of Hutto update its comprehensive plan this spring to reflect the region’s current realities. Called “Hutto Soar 2040,” decisions made by the community in the current planning process will affect local long-term goals for decades to come.
Hutto now has nearly 2,100 single family homes permitted for construction, in addition to 5,000 homes in the platting phase plus zoning for over 4,000 rental units. This means that over the next five years, Hutto could see an additional 20,000 or more new residents. Plans show a reasonably balanced mix of new housing stock, ranging from “move up” homes with upgrades and large lots — up 60 feet and 70 feet — as well as cottages, apartments and everything in between. The city is requiring that developers offset the impact of the neighborhoods/projects they build through infrastructure fees and/or parkland or other public benefits.
This influx of new families and residents moving to Hutto equates to thousands more customers for potential stores, restaurants and service providers. It also will help to balance the property tax burden among sectors.
The city of Hutto has been and will continue to actively recruit retail and commercial development—both regionally and nationally. This is in addition to the Hutto EDC’s strategic targeting of hightech industrial developments.
Simultaneously, the city is sharpening its focus on sorely needed infrastructure improvements, which have been in the works for a while but are now being expedited through updated water and wastewater utility master plans, as well as numerous road projects.
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN HUTTO
In addition to the city-wide comprehensive plan being developed, Hutto’s municipal government wants its citizens’ vision for the future of Historic Downtown Hutto. As the community grows and evolves, city staff say it’s important for Hutto residents and business owners to help determine how that development should shape and support downtown.
TO TAKE THE DOWNTOWN HUTTO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SURVEY, VISIT HTTPS://FREESE.MYSOCIALPINPOINT.COM/HUTTOSOAR2040/MAP#.
