College Station rezones 1,266 acres for Savannah Oaks development

College Station City Council voted Oct. 22 to rezone 1,266 acres near the Pebble Creek area for the incoming Savannah Oaks development. 

What you need to know

Silverfin Land Development President Brantley Gwin said the company has worked with its development team and the city for a little over a year to ensure the framework for the Savannah Oaks development is right. He added that Silverfin’s plan aligns with the city’s plan for growth in midtown and south College Station and its open-space network.

“It’s a fully connected community,” Gwin said. “We have neighborhood sidewalks connecting to greenway trails, which connect to neighboring properties.” 

Gwin said Savannah Oaks will likely bring between $1.6 billion and $2.05 billion worth of long-term community value to College Station, along with housing choice and up to a $350 million commercial zone. 

“This coordinated master plan is very rare within city limits,” Gwin said. “We want to thank everyone on the council for working with us.”

College Station Senior Planner Jeff Howell said the proposed community benefits of the rezoning and development include:

• Increasing landscape buffer plantings and width by 50%

• Increasing the landscape point requirement by 10% 

• Meeting standards on all facades

• Prohibiting internally illuminated cabinet signs

• Requiring all canopy trees to be native, along with using smart irrigation controllers

• Increasing bicycle parking to 150%

Remember this?

As previously reported by Community Impact, the last time Pebble Creek sought rezoning was when the council voted to remove the planned future extension of Pebble Creek Parkway from the city's Thoroughfare Plan in April. Nearly three dozen residents spoke to the council at that April meeting and raised concerns such as: 

• Increased traffic through a residential neighborhood

• Safety risks for children walking or biking

• Golf cart and pedestrian activity being disrupted

• Loss of neighborhood character and quality of life

• Concerns that the roadway would become a high-speed cut-through route

What the council is saying

Council members Mark Smith and David White thanked Gwin for his presentation, and White complimented Silverfin’s patience with the Pebble Creek decision in April. Council member Scott Shafer said he was grateful the developer is willing to integrate College Station’s park system into the development.

“As much as I enjoy and wouldn’t move from my home, if I were coming to College Station today, I would seriously look at what you all are doing,” Shafer said. “You can tell it’s something that really excites me.”

Going forward

The council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance. Future plans and construction schedules for Savannah Oaks are expected to be announced by Silverfin at a later date.