Some Pflugerville residents expressed concern that a new housing development proposed near Windermere Elementary School will worsen traffic issues and negatively impact community aesthetics and property values. Ridge Hill Investments Inc., which owns and manages several properties in the area, including Windermere Townhomes on Windermere Drive, proposed building up to 54 paired townhome rentals on a piece of vacant land on the corner of Black Locust Drive and Grand Avenue Parkway. On April 28, Pflugerville City Council approved a rezoning of the property from agricultural to multifamily to allow for the incoming development. The current proposal, dubbed Windermere Park Garden Villas, would occupy about 5.4 acres of land and would be located next to Windermere Primary School, Windermere Elementary School and HomeTowne at Picadilly, a senior living complex. At two council meetings in April residents from neighborhoods near Black Locust spoke in opposition of the rezoning. “When we all bought our houses we were told there would be no development behind our houses—that it would remain a greenbelt—that’s what we want,” said Ana Sanchez, who said she lives directly behind the property in question. “It’s going to cause a lot of congestion, and because they are rental properties, it’s going to bring down our [home] values.” In order to address traffic concerns, the city of Pflugerville completed a traffic study in the Grand Avenue/Black Locust area and promised to install a traffic light at the intersection, although the project has not yet been funded. Urcha Dunbar-Crespo, another resident, said she believes the recommended traffic light is sorely needed but that it will not completely mitigate traffic issues when the new townhomes are built. “The traffic is already horrendous in the morning,” she said. In a statement sent to Community Impact Newspaper, RHI said plans for the townhome development will address resident concerns. “This project has already made known citizens’ concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety, and as a result, the city of Pflugerville has plans to put a traffic light at the Black Locust and Grand Avenue intersection,” the statement read. “In addition, research is being conducted to ensure that the environmental impact will be mitigated, and the project will be in compliance with all applicable codes.” According to Pflugerville city documents, residents living within 500 feet of the proposed development were notified of the rezoning—exceeding the state’s requirement of notification within 200 feet. Earl Wellborn, president of the Windermere Homeowners’ Association, said his board was informed about the Windermere Park Garden Villas development but was not aware of the public meetings regarding rezoning. “They didn’t send us any notice, and we were under the impression that the process would take a little longer,” Wellborn said. “[At an April HOA meeting], the mayor spent about an hour on the floor fielding questions about this, and he took a lot of heat from the homeowners. I made it clear to him that we felt like we were blindsided.” Wellborn said he is disappointed about being left uninformed, but the Windermere HOA is not opposed to the development and will be able to approve the architecture, materials and colors used in Windermere Park Garden Villas. “I think most of the board members feel as I do,” he said. “It looks like a nice development that will enhance the neighborhood.” Construction on Windermere Park Garden Villas is expected  to begin this fall and last 18 to 24 months, pending on approval from Pflugerville City Council, according to Ridge Hill Investments.