Historic Immanuel Lutheran Church (411 County Road 401 in Taylor) sits among a group of small farms and homesteads located between the Samsung Austin Semiconductor fabrication plant and U.S. Highway 79. The area is surrounded by construction, and a proposed new development has some people worried about flooding impact on the church’s graveyard.
“Over the last 20 years we’ve seen the erosion that has happened to that hill next to the cemetery. We have this big hole on our property that holds water but if we do anything we could wash out a graveyard. So, when you’re talking about building these structures on the edge there where the graveyard and our property meet that could be substantial,” property owner Terry Miller told the Taylor Planning and Zoning Commission at its April 8 meeting.
Miller owns property abutting the cemetery and said her family cannot develop on their land for fear of damaging the cemetery, which dates from 1888.
The proposed development is called Forterra Business Park, at 100 County Road 403. The owner has petitioned to annex the 47-acre parcel into city limits and develop it with 191,100 square feet of light industrial facilities and 81,600 square feet of flexible commercial space. The plan also calls for a gas station and some retail space.
The city sent out notices to nine adjacent property owners, and several showed up to voice their concerns to the P&Z board.
Priscilla Pipho, president of the council for Immanuel Lutheran Church, asked the board to include the church in discussions for the development.
“This is right up next to us and we need to be able to have at least a dialog with the developer so that there is some awareness. We’re a historical part of the community and we want to make sure we’re doing what’s right for Taylor,” Pipho said.
Miller, who spoke first about her concern for the cemetery, also had concerns about her own property in light of how the development might add to existing flooding that has been worsened by the Samsung plant.
“(Samsung) put in a culvert that sends large amounts of water to the point where we had to have our tank fixed. When we say flooded, we mean it’s coming up from our tank probably within ten feet of our barn at the top of the hill. This waterway is of huge importance in keeping our cattle where they are. These are small farms that live here and we rely on our cattle to eat,” Miller said.
She also discussed the traffic on CR 403 during Samsung’s shift changes, saying families in the area cannot leave their homes during rush hours because they cannot access the road. She was concerned with the increase that will happen as Samsung continues to grow, and was worried about the reality of bringing additional developments to the area that would also use that road.
Another adjacent property owner, Ken Haynes, also was concerned about how a new development might affect stormwater drainage.
“Have you looked at the amount of water that comes through there? If that water gets channeled, for everybody downstream it’s going to be a big problem. The amount of water that comes through there is a lot. A whole lot. I have a bridge and a right-of-way that goes through this property and it will wash my bridge out,” Haynes said.
Haynes said the water is a combination of drainage from a culvert that starts near Hutto and the drainage from Samsung which meet in that area.
He was also concerned with the change in the quality of life he and his neighbors are experiencing due to area development.
“If it’s any more lights and noise than Samsung already puts out...we had a nice country atmosphere there and it’s getting worse with the lights and the noise and dust, the drainage and the traffic,” he said.
The same investor has another nearby parcel he is also requesting annexation and zoning approval for. The 52-acre Forterra Mixed Use project at 650 CR 403 would bring 107 new single-family homes and about 13 acres of multi-family or build-torent homes to the neighborhood. It would also have 12,000 square feet of flexible space for offices or commercial use.
City Council had the annexation and zoning requests on its agenda for discussion Thursday.
However, the Planning and Zoning Commission postponed voting on the requests until their next meeting to give the developers and city staff more time to meet with local landowners and the church.
A church spokesperson said the developers have scheduled a meeting with them for April 29. The P&Z board will discuss the projects and get updates at its meeting on Monday, May 12, in City Council Chambers, 400 Porter St.
City Council asked staff to add the proposals to its May 22 meeting agenda.
