New development in Magnolia is still on pause after the Magnolia City Council unanimously approved extending its temporary development moratorium for 120 days due to not enough water capacity at its Aug. 8 meeting. Council Member Brenda Hoppe was absent from the meeting.
Zooming out
The city originally enacted the development moratorium last December, citing the city’s water facilities as being at capacity and “are inadequate and insufficient to adequately serve new development,” according to the ordinance. Around 11,000 new connections are expected to be needed over the next five years, according to prior reporting.
This is the second extension for the moratorium; council members unanimously approved extending it for the first time in April, Community Impact previously reported.
The details
The moratorium applies to all property within city limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction unless it falls within an exception. According to the ordinance, exceptions include:
- Projects that do not impact the city’s water capacity
- Ongoing projects
- Projects that are grandfathered under state law
- Property owners who have a negotiated approval granted by City Council
Other council actions
Magnolia City Council approved proposing a property tax rate of $0.2948, which is the voter-approval tax rate.The voter-approval rate is the maximum amount the city can adopt without voter approval. The city’s current tax rate is $0.3813, according to prior reporting.
A public hearing on the tax rate is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 6 p.m.
Learn more
Read the temporary development moratorium ordinance below.
