HUTTO – Some residents and even city leaders are expressing concerns about a new development that could bring 1,092 homes to the same area where it was announced July 16 that 2,800 residences will be built.
But other officials are arguing that working with developers on projects that are coming no matter what at least gives Hutto some say in the matter.
“By saying yes and working with the developer, we are planning for the future and are enabling the funding of ongoing road maintenance and decreasing the overall burden on all Hutto citizens,” said Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon.
The two developments are just across the street from each other, straddling the northern city limits on CR 133.
A post on the Hutto News Facebook page drew dozens of comments from not only irate residents but concerned city leaders as well after news broke about the latest subdivision.
“Stop approving homes/apartments until the roads can accommodate current AND future population,” read one post. And, “OMG more homes and our roads can’t handle the traffic now.”
In addition: “The traffic is bad enough already! The roads are crap and need to be fixed!” and “Hutto cannot handle any more of this.”
Many critics deriding the developments cited what they termed is already poor infrastructure, heavy traffic and the need to adjust priorities.
Some also voiced concerns about the impact on schools.
“Approving more new homes in overpopulated areas before the district can even finish the construction of schools needed for current overcrowding is very problematic,” said Amy English, a Hutto Independent School District trustee.
English said her comment was not critical of the City Council, but rather to bring attention to the challenges rapid development creates for the school district. “The ISD is struggling to build schools quickly enough to keep up with the growth,” she said. “The need is outpacing the available time and required resources.”
Mayor Mike Snyder echoed English’s comments with similar frustration at the lack of control city leaders have over growth, especially regarding investors who develop housing in Hutto’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, which puts them outside of any city ordinances or building codes.
“We have two choices. Say yes and have some input, or say no and the county lets it all happen. And, if they are in the county, next comes a package plant,” Snyder said.
Flora, the 835-acre master-planned community on the west side of CR 133, is in the ETJ. That means none of the property taxes for the 2,800 homes will benefit the city. Under current rules, a developer does not have to follow city building codes, contribute to the city’s infrastructure or adhere to the city’s comprehensive growth plan.
Prairie Winds, sitting on the east side of CR 133, was originally in the ETJ but was annexed into Hutto. Being within the city limits benefits Hutto through impact fees and property taxes, and the developers pay for a portion of the needed infrastructure development, officials said.
City Council members say it’s a more beneficial way for the city to grow when expansion is inevitable.
“A lot of Hutto citizens are concerned with the additional growth and are confused as to why our City Council continues to approve home developments while we’re also struggling to catch up on infrastructure, especially roads,” Gordon said.
He reiterated that developers are legally entitled to build homes on land outside of the city limits with no municipal oversight, so it benefits Hutto to work with developers who agree to annexation.
As part of its agreement with the city, Prairie Winds is paying nearly $4.5 million in traffic-impact fees for road repair, contributing up to $1 million toward wastewater infrastructure, upscaling its own wastewater projects to benefit future city growth, and developing almost 30 acres of parkland and amenities.
Representatives from Prairie Winds appeared before the council last week to give an update on their progress.
Steve Plevak of developer Green Brick Partners said Prairie Winds is projected to add $1,911,435 in additional property-tax revenue annually to the city once the project is fully built.
On top of the trafficimpact fees, Prairie Winds developers submitted plans to expedite the construction of Main Hippo Drive spanning from the new Martinez Elementary School to CR 133, which will help alleviate traffic when the campus opens in fall 2025.
The developers are also donating property right of way for the future widening of CR 132 and CR 133.
“We saw Martinez Elementary School be announced and we have the Hutto Ninth Grade Center there and traffic is always a big deal, so we want to get these plans in and get working,” Plevak said Prairie Winds is a Public Improvement District, and that agreement calls for an additional contribution from the developer in the form of a community- benefit fee. For Hutto residents, this will mean an estimated $4,747,700 that can be used for quality-of-life projects, planners said.
“We wouldn’t get any of the above by saying no, and a lesser-quality project would be built anyway,” Gordon said.
