The City of Bee Cave has reached a franchise agreement to bring natural gas into its city limits.

Bee Cave City Council on Sept. 25 approved a 15-year franchise agreement with Texas Gas Service to bring a gas line into the city. The gas line is first going to serve the Ladera housing development next to Bee Cave Central Park.

About 2,700 lots are committed to the pipeline. The pipeline can serve almost 20,000 lots, and TGS Manager Margaret Von Flatern said she expects future developments to attach to the line.

"We are building a pipeline for future growth," she said.

Von Flatern said TGS has not fully explored the possibility of existing developments switching from propane to natural gas.

The city will charge a 2 percent franchise fee, which will be passed on to TGS customers.

Bill Van Hoy, Texas Propane Gas Association executive director, said in April that propane providers have been available to serve the smaller and more rural communities that have been overlooked by natural gas providers. He said he expects developers to choose natural gas over propane when given a choice.

TGS spokeswoman Lori Moreno said in April that TGS decided to look into extending a line into Bee Cave after being approached by several different developers in the area interested in natural gas.