HUTTO — Another buildto- rent community will be breaking ground soon in Hutto’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, with eyes on being annexed by the city once complete. A central Texas developer already has construction underway just east of Hutto, and is now planning another development on the city’s west end.
“This would mean more attainable rents for Hutto’s workforce,” said Evan Caso of Urban Moments, developer of the YardHomes brand communities. “A lot of our residents are police, firefighters, teachers, nurses, city employees.
That’s a major demographic for us.”
The new development, called YardHomes Limmer Loop, will create 220 to 240 houses on a 22-acre lot located between State Highway 130 and Ed Schmidt. Though the land is currently in the ETJ, the developer plans to ask the city to annex the land once construction is complete. They have been working with city staff to create a community development agreement, and appeared before City Council in July to bring council members up to date on their project.
Caso said planning toward annexation was beneficial to the city because they are working with the city’s land development regulations in addition to creating added property tax revenue. Remaining in the ETJ would generally allow a broader possibility of uses with fewer development regulations and would not generate city property taxes.
The project is designed to provide apartment flexibility with the privacy and space of a single family home. The majority of homes being planned are detached single-family houses, though some will be duplexes. Every home will have a private back yard. An on-site, full-time management team will take care of maintenance and upkeep of the homes and grounds.
“There’s a lot of terms thrown out in this business. One of them is ‘horizontal apartments.’ If you think about a garden-style apartment where it is managed by a management company, it’s the same thing here it’s just individual homes. It feels more like a neighborhood but it’s professionally managed,” the developer said.
YardHomes has seven other communities in Texas, including one under construction in Round Rock that will be the same size as YardHomes Limmer Loop.
“[The Round Rock project] is a gated community featuring a resort-style pool, grilling stations, an outdoor fitness area, a dog park, a pet washing station and multiple pocket parks. We’d be proposing a similar style development here,” Caso said.
The communities are designed to attract future home buyers, with the units being comparable to starter homes. The rent is designed to fit the “missing middle” class, with incomes in the $50,000 to $125,000.
“The smallest onebedroom starts at about around 650 square feet, and then our largest three bedroom is closer to 1,400 square feet. We cater a lot to singles, couples and then maybe folks with one child,” Caso said.
He said most residents of YardHomes communities are under the age of 45, and 60% are women.
“I think they’re drawn to our security. Private entrances to each unit and private backyard entrances, so there’s no shared doors and few shared walls,” he said.
With the annexation, YardHomes Limmer Loop will be served by Jonah Water and City of Hutto Wastewater. The company expects to be able to offer the homes for rent within two years.
