The setup
On Feb. 11, council members unanimously approved the rezoning of a property near Rockride Lane and Sam Houston Avenue from agriculture to planned unit development. The future site will have office, restaurant and retail space, along with a mixture of housing options, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Council gave initial approval to the PUD Jan. 28, with the requirement that the two largest commercial office buildings must be fully leased out prior to 200 apartment units being occupied.
Additionally, prior to the 80th apartment being occupied in the PUD’s Phase 2 of development, a minimum of 15,000 square feet of commercial space must be ready for leasing, Planning Director Sofia Nelson said during the Feb. 11 meeting.
The debate
Two residents of Fairhaven subdivision, a neighborhood adjacent to the PUD, spoke against the development during public comments. Resident Julia Taylor said apartments and townhomes in the surrounding area are offering two months of free rent to people interested in moving in.
“I believe this is an indication that there is not a huge rush for people to inhabit these multifamily units,” Taylor said.
Resident Megan Turnipseed said while she’s noticed the growth on Georgetown’s southeast side, she hopes officials decide against incorporating tall, vertical apartments, which she believes are having a “hard time being filled.”
“This is not an urban type of neighborhood,” Turnipseed said.
District 7 council member Ben Stewart represents the area the development will fall within. Following public comments, Stewart said multifamily isn’t his favorite style of development, but offered a big-picture perspective.
"I think a lot of people don't understand what's going to eventually develop in that area,” Stewart said. “My goal with this is to ... have some sort of height barrier that starts to separate what Sam Houston will be in the next 10-15 years from the surrounding single-family residential areas.”
Remember this?
During the rezoning’s first reading, Amanda Brown, a real estate development consultant with HD Brown Consulting, said the property will eventually be bisected by a future extension of Ridge Line Boulevard that will go from I-35 to Bell Gin Road.
