Hutto City Council approved planned unit development zoning for the tract a May 5 meeting.
The land, previously part of a larger single-family tract, will eventually be cut off from the larger tract by Williamson County's ongoing Southeast Loop road project.
Developer Empire Group plans to use the land for a multifamily development called Village at Hutto Station.
The development will contain up to 300 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, according to a city presentation. The units will all be one story and will be a mix of attached and detached.
"It'll look really similar to a single-family neighborhood; there will be detached garages; there will be landscaping similar to a single-family neighborhood, but it will be a for-rent project," Development Services Director Ashley Lumpkin said.
Empire Group representative Bryan Freel said rent will start around $1,600 for one-bedroom units, $2,000 for two-bedroom units and $2,200 for three-bedroom units.
Council members stressed the importance of Southeast Loop for managing traffic from Village at Hutto Station and other nearby developments that would otherwise go to CR 138.
"138 is essentially one lane," Council Member Krystal Kinsey said. "I can't even imagine trying to drive down that one-lane road with all these apartment complexes coming online."
However, Freel said it would likely be at least 18 months before the development delivers units—well past the first segment of Southeast Loop's expected completion in early 2023.
