League City City Council approves westside development to replace older one

League City City Council on June 14 rezoned about 838 acres of an existing planned unit development in League City known as the McAlister PUD to a new PUD known as Westland Ranch.

The new PUD, located on the north side of FM 517 and east of Maple Leaf Drive, replaces regulations of the old PUD, which was established by League City City Council in 2006. Most notably, the new PUD no longer proposes multifamily or industrial uses within the development, according to city documents.

A couple council members clapped when hearing the PUD would no longer including multifamily housing. Several council members have opposed the development of apartment buildings, believing the city needs more single-family housing and commercial spaces.

According to a presentation from city staff, the previous PUD required 1 acre of parkland per 90 units. That has been changed to 1 acre per 75 lots, meaning there will be more parkland—a total of about 22 acres.

Additionally, the development will be less dense. The new PUD has 1,650 proposed lots, a decrease of about 650 lots from the old PUD, city staff said.

The new PUD proposes a combination of traditional single-family lot sizes and higher-density residences, such as patio homes. Overall, there will be about two dwelling units per acre, which is less than other recent subdivisions, such as the Mar Bella PUD, which has 2.8 units per acre; Stedman-West PUD at 2.2. per aces; and the McAlister PUD at 2.6 units per acre, according to the documents.

The developer plans for four commercial sites within the development to largely be retail, the documents read.

Development of the property, including infrastructure, began in 2018 under the name Westland Ranch. Some aspects of the old PUD have been incorporated into the new PUD, according to the documents.