The details
Frontera Hillside Land owns about 10 acres on the corner of CR 172 and SH 45 in Round Rock’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The site is surrounded by city limits on three sides. The developer proposed a hybrid of high-density and medium-density multifamily developments, which would include 365 units.
“What will end up being on the ground is very similar to what is already been built immediately to the east,” Director of Planning and Development Services Bradley Dushkin said at the meeting.
Because the proposed apartments are in the city’s ETJ, the developer requested an out-of-city agreement to receive water and wastewater services, which City Council approved.
What is it
The out-of-city agreement allows the development a maximum of 183 living unit equivalents for water and wastewater, plus eight additional LUEs for irrigation. A LUE estimates the average flow for a standard residence each day to estimate service demands.
The customer will pay twice the in-city retail rates for water and wastewater, which is standard for ETJ customers, Dushkin said.
The city will also hold the property to in-city drought standards, and charge a wastewater and water connection fee, roadway improvement fee and parkland fee, which mirror fees for in-city developments.
What else?
Frontera Hillside Land partnered with the Texas Housing Foundation to obtain financing in exchange for offering affordable units. This agreement exempts the developer from property taxes, as long as it reserves at least 50% of the available units to those making 80% or less of the area median income.
“Generally we believe anyone who wants in live in or around Round Rock should be able to, and this is one development that will help make that happen,” Dushkin said.
This agreement also means the city planning department did not recommend annexation for this development, Dushkin said.
“The city would not be collecting any revenue from the property but would still have to provide all of the city, all of the municipal services,” he said.
