Despite backlash from area residents, Leander City Council gave initial approval for the rezoning of a development in west Leander that could contain up to 1,200 homes during its Thursday night meeting.
The rezoning will come before city council for second reading and final approval during a March 15 meeting, according to a city spokesperson.
The planned unit development known as Chapman Parks could sit on approximately 317 acres northeast of the intersection of Mesa Vista Drive and CR 280. The request for the project included zoning for neighborhood residential, cottage housing, local commercial, local office, single-family urban, single-family compact, single-family limited and single-family townhouse use components. The land is currently zoned single-family rural and borders the Greatwood Estates community and undeveloped land, according to city documents.
Jim Knight, the regional business leader for Santec, represented the project applicant and presented on Chapman Parks before the council.
“We’ve been working with city staff over the last 12 to 18 months to try to find a way to build the city of Leander the finest residential subdivision that has ever been built in this community, and we believe we have the opportunity to do that,” he said.
Council previously held workshops for the developer of the project in November and February. After the proposed development
sparked concerns from area residents during the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Feb. 22, members of the commission voted not to recommend approval of the rezoning to city council at a vote of 5-2.
Concerns from area residents
During Thursday’s meeting, nearly 20 area residents spoke in opposition of the development.
Leander resident Robert Mirabella said he and his wife moved out to Greatwood Estates to have a large acreage home.
“We wanted to not be on top of our neighbors, we wanted to escape urban sprawl, and it looks like I’m going to be backing up to it now if this gets approved,” he said.
Other area residents raised concerns about the state of CR 280, the proposed extension of Lakeline Boulevard, the egress in and out of the development, the size of the lots, project density and whether the development matches with current homes in the area.
Lisa Simmons, who lives next to the proposed development outside of the city limits, said the area was not the right space for the project.
“I think that this sort of thing would work in a different location, maybe if you put it by the train station, it feels that it’s made to be walkable,” she said. I don’t know why it’s being put in the middle of a cow pasture, it just doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t fit the area at all.”
After the P&Z meeting, Knight said the developer had worked to address residents’ comments and concerns. During Thursday’s meeting, he proposed moving larger lots next to existing houses in the Mesa Vista area and having either lots with no less than 60 feet or greenbelt adjacent to Greatwood Estates. He also proposed changing the cross section of Lakeline to have on-street parking.
During February’s P&Z meeting, some area residents in Mesa Grande and Mesa Vista raised concerns over driving large equipment and trailers through the project. Knight proposed improving the intersections at CR 280 and the future extension of Lakeline to make it easier for drivers.
“We wanted to make sure we would try to be as sensitive as we could to those neighbors who already have homes in that area,” he said.
Out of around 20 speakers, former city council member David Siebold was the one speaker in favor of the development. He cited population growth to the north, the demand for smaller lots and said it looked like a good project.
Council members' comments
During the discussion, Council member Andrea Navarrette said the council has had to evaluate several projects in the past with higher densities that back up to projects with larger acreage.
“That’s scary when something is coming in right behind you, so I think it’s our responsibility to make sure it’s a top of the line product,” she said. “And they’ve done their homework on this.”
Council member Shanan Shepherd said she thought it was a great project that has a lot of merit, but said it would be better suited for a more populated area near retail, restaurants and shopping.
“Everything that we do in our zoning is supposed to be transitional, and I think this is just such a big jump from one property use type to another that it’s a square peg in a round hole to me,” she said. “While I applaud the merits of the project and the extent of work that has gone into it, I just can’t get my head around putting it where you’re wanting to put it.”
Council member Jeff Seiler requested several amendments to the project, including limiting the total number of homes to 1,200, having the lots adjacent to Mesa Visa and Greatwood Estates be the single-family urban use, limiting the single-family limited use lots to a minimum of 41 feet and having that use be no more than 20 percent of the homes in Chapman Parks, and building Lakeline as a four-lane roadway in between the south side and the north side of CR 280.
Council members approved the first reading of the rezoning at a vote of 4-3, with council members Troy Hill, Michelle Stephenson and Shepherd voting against.
