After a failed motion to deny the Serenity Ranch Municipal Utility District agreement, Georgetown City Council members gave initial approval for the 112-acre development to proceed in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery presented a MUD proposal to council members at an Oct. 27 City Council meeting.
The details
Located south of CR 150 and east of I-35, the Serenity Ranch MUD has plans for different housing types and amenities over several phases, including:
300 units of multifamily housing
271 single-family lots
160 townhomes
30,000 square feet of commercial space
15.4 acres of parkland
2.2-acre amenity complex with a pool and multisports court
Additionally, plans show 10-foot-wide multiuse trails connecting open spaces, including a sunset garden.
The developer will commit to road infrastructure upgrades to support the development, according to city documents:
Improvements to the CR 150 and Petty Lane intersection
Widening CR 150
Constructing Petty Lane as the main two-lane neighborhood collector road
Dedicating right of way and constructing half of the future Petty Lane expansion to six lanes
What else?
The tax rate for the MUD is capped at $0.95 per $100 of assessed value, according to city documents.
Total projected bond debt is expected to be $32.6 million across full build-out, Woolery said.
Water service will be provided by Jonah Water, and the city will take over ownership of the wastewater services after the developer constructs wastewater lines connecting to the Dry Berry Creek Interceptor.
What they're saying
MUDs operate by levying an additional tax on homeowners in order to construct necessary infrastructure that adds "extraordinary public benefit," according to city documents.
District 6 council member Jake French said that the road construction proposed by the developer may not align with the city's MUD guidelines.
"With the patchwork of ETJ disannexations out there fairly adjacent to this property, I don't know whether that constitutes an extraordinary public benefit," French said.
Additionally, District 3 council member Ben Butler opposed the cost of the MUD tax rate.
"My major concern is not that it's a MUD, but the amount that we're going to be charging people," Butler said.
What's next
The first reading of the MUD agreement passed 4-2. City Council will continue final approval at a future meeting.
