The Georgetown City Council approved the first readings of two planned unit developments, or PUDs, with the shared purposes of industrial and business park uses at its Oct. 11 meeting.

Property owners Fidelis—development and realty partners—asked to rezone 56.73 acres located at 2990 N. I-35, Georgetown, from the use of agriculture and single-family residential to a PUD with a base zoning of business park.

According to Georgetown Planning Director Sofia Nelson, the property will be separated into two zones: Zone A, totaling 35.7 acres, will be a business park zone; and Zone B, totaling 20.2 acres, will be defined as a restricted zone and will be used to develop amenities, such as a pavilion, a trail network and an area for food trucks and other vendors.

According to Fidelis’ representative Kevin O’Neil, the property will have a total of three buildings with approximately 500,000 square feet of flex office space and light assembly manufacturing to support an appropriate distribution center.

O’Neil explained that Fidelis has a 19-year operating history and operates properties with tenants, such as H-E-B, Marshalls and HomeGoods.

“We have a strong network with existing tenants that we can continue working with,” O’Neil said. “We are confident that we will get the types of tenants you have been looking for.”

Most council members were in favor of the project.

“I think this is the best use for this piece of land,” Council Member Mike Triggs said. “It does have accessibility issues, but I don't think it will cause any other problems. Overall, it looks like a nice project.”

The first reading was approved 5-2 with council members Jake French and Amanda Parr opposed.

City Council also approved the first reading and the annexation of 92.2 acres located at 5501 I-35 S., Georgetown, with the primary uses of business park and industrial.

According to site plans submitted by the W.D. Kelley Foundation, the proposed PUD district will “serve the growing demand for economic-based regional and national businesses needing to take advantage of direct access to the interstate and highway systems.”

Additionally, the “corporate campus-style” development featuring business park and light industrial building types around a shared outdoor amenity will create a vibrant and diverse environment, attracting “quality businesses and minimizing the workday exodus to Austin and other surrounding communities.”

The complex is estimated to have around 1.09 million square feet of office and flex space spanned across seven buildings and almost 1,500 parking spaces.

This development will also be organized into two zones: Zone A, totaling 72.9 acres, will be the industrial zone; and Zone B, totaling 20.2 acres, will be a business park zone and constitutes the front portion of the property along I-35.

The first reading was approved 6-1 with Council Member Ben Stewart opposed.

“I think this is going to be a handsome project,” Council Member Shawn Hood said. “We have seen some projects recently and some that have not been as thought out as this one, so I am excited to see how this one turns out.”

Both PUDs will have to be approved with an official second reading.