The big picture
The 9.12-acre property would include mini warehouses and office space at the northwest corner of SH 130 and CR 152, according to city documents.
The site would be rezoned from an agriculture to business park zoning district, Assistant Planning Director Travis Baird said during a presentation to council.
As of March 11, the city received eight letters of opposition from nearby property owners. The rezoning received unanimous approval from council members and is set to have a second council vote March 25 before official changes are made.
Construction company Capital Construction LLC is requesting the rezoning, per city documents.
“This development is designed to foster economic growth in Georgetown, offering a blend of high quality office spaces and flexible business facilities that cater to modern workplace needs,” a letter of intent from Capital Construction LLC reads.
According to city documents, Capital Construction LLC’s vision for the space includes:
- About 160,000 square feet of building space
- Units ranging from 1,200-1,800 square feet
- Professional offices
- Creative workspaces
- Light commercial businesses
- Parking
- A 24-foot wide, two-lane concrete road encircling the development and serving as a fire line and primary access route
The Titan Gateway planned unit development, a primarily industrial PUD, is north of the proposed rezoning area, Baird said.
The area also includes NorthPark35, a nearby industrial park.
Measuring the impact
The rezoning fully complies with four out of five of the Unified Development Code’s approval criteria for zoning changes, according to the presentation.
“One of the biggest friction points that we noted was in traffic patterns expected to the area,” Baird said.
Staff expects for the primary mode of entry to the property to be through SH 130. Baird said the two most likely points of entry to the property for commuters would be:
- Using the SH 130 frontage road to access the property
- Exiting FM 971 and heading north on CR 152, which is next to residential developments
“If that traffic is really focused down [CR] 152 to the property, then it's moving through an area that has developed with a high residential character,” Baird said. “That's worthy of concern.”
Baird said portions of CR 152 are classified as high intensity roadways, and staff expects to develop the road to manage traffic in the future.
What residents are saying
Baird said 29 property owners located within 300 feet of the subject property were notified about the possible rezoning. As of March 11, staff received no comments in favor.
In an email to the city, Kathy Gould, a resident of the Crystal Knoll neighborhood, said there is already increased traffic on CR 152 and Stadium Drive due to new apartments and a nearby school.
Jim Hagan said the existing warehouses adjacent to the Crystal Knoll neighborhood can be seen from many homes.
“By adding even more warehouses, there will be more lights high above the houses in this little neighborhood,” Hagan said in an email to the city. “When I moved to this house, I could see the Milky Way from my front porch. Now, I can't really see any stars due to the blinding warehouse lights that are on throughout the night.”
Offering input
Travis Spaulding, president and founder of Capital Construction LLC, acknowledged residents' concerns about traffic going into the neighborhood at the March 11 meeting. He said there is an “odd” right turn on CR 152 that goes into the Crystal Knoll neighborhood.
“I believe about 80% of the traffic going down 152 does that cut through and does not go through the Crystal neighborhood,” Spaulding said.
Spaulding said his team proposed a “no-thru” traffic sign at the corner of their proposed property and the neighborhood, and he is prepared to fix the road. Based on initial calculations, the space from the Precise Space Georgetown building to the first Crystal Knoll house would be about 300 feet, Spaulding said.
“I don't think we're going to have much lights or any noise issues that would be relative to the same building next to us,” Spaulding said.
Additionally, the Crystal Knoll neighborhood’s detention and drainage pond is located up against the proposed rezoning site. Ideally, the drainage pond for the proposed rezoning property would be located in the same area to provide additional buffering between the proposed site and current neighborhood, Baird said.
Looking ahead
Georgetown’s Future Land Use map places the proposed rezoning site within the city’s “employment center,” which looks to maximize employment and service providing abilities, Baird said.
“The real target there is employment generating uses,” Baird said. “We do see a lot of the flex-style and industrial type developments go in there.”
With the area being located along a highway corridor, staff is looking for the site to have higher intensity uses and larger building sizes, Baird said.
Rezoning to business park would allow the site to incorporate industrial uses and flex uses while still allowing for commercial and service bearing uses, he said.
One more thing
At a Feb. 18 meeting, Planning & Zoning Commission members approved the rezoning in a 6-1 vote, according to city documents.
