Possible plan for a mixed use development at the intersection of Pecan Street and Heatherwilde in Pflugerville.[/caption]

A new residential and shopping center modeled after the “smart growth” principle of compact, walkable mixed use communities could be coming to West Pflugerville.

On June 9, Pflugerville City Council approved a zoning request that would allow for a development with 1,250 residential units along with office and retail space to be constructed on 45 acres of land near the intersection of Pecan Street and Heatherwilde Boulevard.

The development, currently dubbed “The Commons at Heatherwilde and Pecan” could include townhomes, apartments, shops and civic spaces, according to city documents.

The vision for the property can be classified as a “walkable urban” community, said developer Cid Galindo.

“What we’re seeing in the marketplace is that walkable urban is really growing,” Galindo said. “It is not a form of development that Pflugerville has today, so we are bringing a very well planned, best practices in urban design and green design, walkable urban community to Pflugerville.”

Galindo said the demand for such compact, mixed use developments often comes from single residents, young families and baby boomers looking to downsize, and that he has seen demand from each of these demographics in Pflugerville.

Galindo did not release a project timeline, but he said the re-zoning of the property in question from general business 1 and agriculture/conservation to planned unit development is the first step in a lengthy process.

“It’s an important first step because it means the city and the developer have agreed on the vision,” he said.