The question of how to develop a plot of land near the intersection of Flint Rock Road and Wild Cherry Drive is once again a topic of conversation among Lakeway city officials as Lakeway City Council voted March 15 to table for one month a zoning request for the updated development.
In 2019, the owners of 15617 Flint Rock Road had envisioned building more than 250 multifamily units at this location. That proposal was denied by council, at least in part, because council stated it did not adhere to the city’s comprehensive plan.
Now, the owners, Cherry Knoll LLC, are back to council with a plan to build 126 single-family residential homes on 22.86 acres at the same location. Also included is a commercial center and green space on the northeast side of Flint Rock of about 3 acres.
However, four topics generated enough discussion for the council to send the zoning request back to city staff for further review.
At issue is clarifying the construction phases of the development plan so as to understand when proposed walking trails and open space would be made available to the public, completing a traffic study in the immediate area, understanding the amount of parking offered by the development and examining the overall density of the development.
During a public hearing on whether the council should zone the acreage as a planned unit development, or PUD, most nearby residents spoke about increased traffic in the immediate area of Flint Rock.
Council Member Louis Mastrangelo said traffic was a big issue, especially as it pertains to residents in and around the proposed development using Wild Cherry and Flint Rock.
“But ultimately to me the biggest concern that I sympathize with is the traffic. I think that the traffic is a big deal,” Mastrangelo said. “If there is one thing that I’ve heard over and over again from citizens [it] is, not so much the traffic as it is the safety of the cars moving in and out of there.”
Lakeway City Manager Julie Oakley said a traffic study of the area by Huitt-Zollars Inc. would be complete in about two to three weeks and would also take into account the coming construction of the neighboring 45,000-square-foot Overlook at Lakeway development.
“What I’ve asked Huitt-Zollars to do is study the entire flow of traffic in that area, which could include signalization at the intersection of Wild Cherry and Flint Rock, or a roundabout solution, or opening up the old connection of Flint Rock to Flintrock Trace,” Oakley said. “They have been working on that project for about two to three weeks and are right in the middle of it. We expect it to last another two to three.”
If council approves the zoning change for the property to a PUD, the owner of the property would then work with the city to develop specific details beyond the concept plan included in the zoning proposal. Those details would be part of a preliminary plan and plat for the development. Both of these documents would require council approval.
The issue of zoning the acreage owned by Cherry Knoll is expected to return to council April 19. Approval of the PUD zoning could include council granting variances for impervious cover and front-facing garages as well as making allowances for the height of the homes in relation to the current elevation of the property.
