Bee Cave City Council unanimously voted Jan. 24 to deny a proposed single-family residential development on 128 acres off Hamilton Pool Road near Cueva Drive.

The project was discussed by council members and the developer’s representative, Aaron Googins, during four City Council meetings beginning Dec. 6.

Owned by the Grumbles family, longtime local farmers and ranchers, the tract was simultaneously set for annexation if the development agreement had been approved. The site currently has an agriculture exemption that allows the property owners to avoid annexation as long as the current agricultural purpose is maintained.

Following the outcome of the council vote, the owners withdrew their request to be annexed into the city limits.

According to the city’s 2016 comprehensive plan update, the area is designated as the Hamilton Pool Corridor and includes single-family homes with a rural residential feel.

The proposal included 74-76 single-family homes with at least an acre of land for each homesite.

Citing the need for more architectural flexibility, Googins had requested a setback on some of the lots of 35 feet as a variance to the 50-foot setback required in the corridor as well as changes in the interior lot side yard widths. The neighborhood was slated to be gated, with a majority of the homes designed with a side-entry garage, he said.

Council members said the overall plan lacked the rural feel established within the corridor designation.

“The proposed development would be a more urban look than a rural look,” Mayor Caroline Murphy said. “This is not the layout we would want for single-family rural residential [zoning].”