Renters-only Legacy subdivision debuts in 2017

Pflugerville’s first rent-only subdivision—dubbed Legacy—will be open to residents by summer 2017.

AHV Communities acquired the site at the northeast corner of Pfennig Lane and Swenson Farms Boulevard where Legacy will be built. The project will consist of one- and two-story homes ranging from 1,440 to 1,882 square feet with up to four bedrooms.

AHV CEO Mark Wolf said there is “a growing trend” nationwide of rental houses being developed instead of private-ownership properties. Since the 2008 economic downturn, more and more people have turned to renting, Wolf said.

“We saw an opportunity to take it one step further and give people what they really want with like-minded people in a community,” he said.

Wolf said Legacy will consist of 85 homes with on-site management, and residents will have access to a fitness center, pool and clubhouse.

“The unique thing about what we do is marrying the best of apartments with the best of homes,” Wolf said.

Legacy will offer components more commonly found at for-sale homes, such as granite countertops, designer wood-style flooring, walk-in closets, washer and dryer hookups, and ceiling fans. Houses also will include front and back yards.

“[Opening Legacy] was an opportunity for us to provide a better option than what was existing,” Wolf said.

The development will be within proximity to jobs in Georgetown, Austin and Pflugerville, Wolf said. AHV will begin work on a similar 94-unit project in Georgetown around the same time.

Wolf said construction on Legacy should begin by Nov. 1 and, weather permitting, will take five to six months to complete. Once construction kicks off, pre-leasing will begin. Residents must sign a minimum one-year lease.

Walkable, mixed-use neighborhood in the works

Developers say construction on a unique pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development in Pflugerville is set to begin by next summer.

The Commons at Heatherwilde and Pecan, a tentatively titled development with residential units and office and retail space, is expected to begin construction on the first phase by summer 2017, co-developer Cid Galindo said.

The project will be located on a 45-acre property near the intersection of Pecan Street and Heatherwilde Boulevard.

The development will be Pflugerville’s first walk UP, a term used in the development industry to indicate a walkable urban place.

“It’s designed to be very pedestrian friendly,” Galindo said. “[It will be] a place people live, work and play, and access all of those different uses by walking to them.”

The demand for compact, mixed-use developments often comes from single residents, young families and baby boomers looking to downsize, Galindo told Community Impact Newspaper in June 2015. He said he has seen demand from each of those demographics in Pflugerville.

The project has a large residential component, he said, but there will also be office, retail and restaurant space, as well as parks and activities the entire community can enjoy.

“There’s a real need for that in Pflugerville,” Galindo said. “A place where people can go with their families and friends to enjoy a walk through the park or where kids can play at the playground. That’s going to be well accepted.”

Pflugerville City Council unanimously approved rezoning plans during its Aug. 9 meeting.

Revisions to the zoning plans will allow for more units than the previous planned unit development, or PUD, plans the council approved last summer.

Also among the changes to the PUD are a reorientation of roads and civic spaces within the development.

“That [City Council decision] sets the table for the project to move forward,” Galindo said.