Shell Road site brought back into Georgetown ETJ, could bring 434 new multifamily units

After two years of failed development applications, a 43-acre mixed use development off Shell Road could be coming to Georgetown.

What we know

On April 22, Georgetown City Council members approved annexing the Shell Spur development back into the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction in an effort to encourage the developer to connect to the city’s water infrastructure.

City documents show plans for the site include commercial and residential units, with a total of 434 multifamily units. The proposed development would use a mixture of zonings throughout the property, including:

• 23.1 acres of low density multifamily
• 11.8 acres of high density multifamily
• 4.9 acres of general commercial
• 3.3 acres of right of way

Planning Director Sofia Nelson said this is the city’s first request for a property to return to the ETJ.

What to expect

At a later date, council members will also decide whether or not to annex the property back into city limits, how to zone the property, and potentially approve its request to become a planned unit development. The property annexing back into the city will righten the architectural and landscape restrictions for the development.

A PUD is a unique zoning district that gives developers more flexibility outside of zoning standards but requires the quality of development to be equal to or greater than standard zoning, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

How we got here

In 2023, owners of the property located at 2200 Shell Road had two development applications fall through, said HD Brown Consulting founder Amanda Brown, the property owner’s representative. City documents list the property owner as with Nova 360 LLC.

As a “Plan C,” the property was de-annexed out of the city in December 2023, and Nova 360 LLC applied for an on-site wastewater discharge permit, or TLAP permit, with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The proposed permit would allow the developer to dispose of 56,500 gallons per day of treated domestic wastewater via surface irrigation on 16.5 acres of public land, according to TCEQ documents.

At a Feb. 11 TCEQ public meeting for the permit, several nearby residents voiced concerns about the permit’s ability to spray effluent, or treated wastewater, in close proximity to their homes and private wells.

“I know the community does not like these types of on-site discharge permits; I know our city leaders do not like them,” Brown said April 22. “Developers also do not like them.”

Brown said the permitting decision comes down to accessing wastewater.

“The TCEQ permit was started once we felt like there was no path forward for annexing into the city of Georgetown and using Georgetown wastewater,” Brown said. “That process has been essentially paused to then pursue annexing into the city concurrently. But ultimately, if that's unsuccessful, we have to go back to Plan C.”

Brown said the TLAP permit withdrawal will take place once the property can annex back into city limits and secure Georgetown wastewater service.

The impact

As part of the new proposal, Nelson said the applicant would make improvements to the Shell Spur and Shell Road intersection, like adding a signal at Shell Spur or creating additional turn lanes to help improve traffic.

City documents show the developer plans to include a convenience store with a gas station, which a few council members were against. Currently, the closest gas station to the property is 1.6 miles away, Nelson said.

“The project is more dense than most of the neighbors would like ... but it may be the least worse option when you consider what they can do if they stay outside the city limits,” Mayor Josh Schroeder wrote in an April 23 Facebook post.

Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Pitts said he would prefer to increase the commercial zoning and decrease multifamily, suggesting a maximum of 350 units should be allowed for the development as opposed to its current 434.

On April 22, Georgetown resident Heath Cole said he lives near the proposed Shell Spur development and mentioned he’s fully supportive of the property’s proposed annexation into the city limits.

“Annexing and what we do here is much better than a wastewater treatment plant that, under the current proposal, is authorized to spray treated sewage right on the property line of the neighbors,” Cole said.

One more thing

According to city documents, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission will take action on the development’s zoning request before City Council votes on annexing the property back into city limits.

“In theory, if the applicant gets through coming into the ETJ and then does not want to proceed forward ... they have every opportunity to also withdraw into the ETJ again,” Nelson said.