Hutto adopted new water and wastewater master plans; Williamson County experts discussed the region’s water supply amid area growth; a mixed-use development in Pflugerville took a step forward; and Round Rock approved an economic incentive for the Switch data center. Read the full stories below to find out more.
Hutto adopts new water, wastewater master plans to address growing demand
Hutto has updated plans for addressing water and wastewater needs following Hutto City Council approval of new water and wastewater master plans.
Council approved the two plans—the first update since 2016 for water and 2018 for wastewater—at a Dec. 15 meeting.
Work on both plans began in February with engineering firm Garver developing the wastewater plan and engineering firm Freese and Nichols developing the water plan.
Experts say water infrastructure, not supply, an issue as Williamson County grows
At the Williamson County Growth Summit—hosted by the Austin Business Journal on Dec. 15 at the largest water park in Texas, Kalahari—a panel of experts discussed whether the region has enough water to keep up with area development.
With major companies, such as the Samsung Austin Semiconductor facility in Taylor, setting up shop in the county, stakeholders are questioning whether the area’s water supply will meet the demand of growing industry. The amount of water available to the area is not the concern, though, said David Collinsworth, general manager and CEO of the Brazos River Authority.
Developer submits second application for FM 685 mixed-use development in Pflugerville
A proposed 12-acre mixed-use development at 21101 FM 685 in Pflugerville has another chance to move forward with developer Fairfield's second application for planned unit development, or PUD, zoning.
Since the proposed development is under 20 acres, City Council approval is required to submit a PUD application. Pflugerville City Council voted to allow the application at a Dec. 13 meeting but will still need to approve the application itself at a future meeting.
Council previously voted to allow Fairfield to submit a PUD application for the same development, but the application later failed to pass after officials raised concerns over the development's impact on the nearby Ridge at Steeds Crossing neighborhood.
The new application includes several changes from the version submitted in January, such as more commercial use along the frontage road, adjusted density for the multifamily component and additional park space.
Round Rock City Council approves economic incentive for Switch data center
Round Rock officials approved an economic development agreement with Switch Ltd. in a 7-0 vote Dec. 15.
The agreement will see the data center earn back half of the sales tax revenue it generates for the city, starting in 2027. It is a performance-based agreement and includes clawbacks should the company not fulfill its end of the deal.
City documents state under the agreement, Switch would be paid 50% of the $0.01 sales tax revenue remitted to the city by the Texas comptroller of public accounts as an economic incentive in exchange for $80 million in real property improvements, business personal property and customer equipment acquisitions.
