Dozens of community members stand in support, baring shirts stating "Save our farm." (Hamera Shabbir/Community Impact)
After dozens of residents spoke in support of The 75 Oaks, Leander City Council members unanimously voted to approve a special use permit for the family farm Oct. 15.
The overview
The 75 Oaks offers a variety of farm products and educational programming for all ages.
The farm store drew city attention in September 2025 when a code inspection found it lacked a certificate of occupancy. Since then, the farm has worked with city staff to find a way for the business to stay open. With this permit, The 75 Oaks can continue farm sales and educational workshops for the next decade.
"It's been a lot—worrying about what would happen if this didn't exist," owner Leeza Tierney said. "I have thought about this every minute of every day for the past year. It's a relief that we're here."
How we got here
The 75 Oaks is currently zoned as a single-family urban or manufactured home, city documents state. Homes in this category can have “small” animals like goats when the property is at least three acres. However, The 75 Oaks keeps goats and sheep on a 2.39-acre parcel.
After a September 2025 code inspection prompted the business owners to explore ways to keep operating, The 75 Oaks submitted a special use permit application in June 2026. The Leander Planning and Zoning Commission approved the request, advancing the permit to city council.
“I'm glad and grateful that there's a mechanism that exists that made the most sense at this point for us to pursue so that we can stay open for our community,” Tierney said.
The discussion
More than 80 community members spoke or submitted positions in favor of the farm, with no speakers opposed.
Residents of Leander, Liberty Hill, Georgetown and Lago Vista discussed how they interacted with the farm as customers, volunteers, neighbors, leaders of community organizations or other businesses.
Many speakers highlighted how the farm offers fresh food, a non-traditional classroom setting and a larger sense of community.
“The 75 Oaks creates a place where people can learn, work side by side and build lasting connections,” farm volunteer Ashley Wagner said. “Places like this are what make Leander feel like a true community and not just a collection of houses we happen to live in."
Public comment surrounding The 75 Farm lasted over an hour, as residents and volunteers vouched for the business.(Hamera Shabbir/Community Impact)
Andy Hogue, president of the neighboring Oakridge HOA, called the property a "natural transition" that separates the neighborhood from commercial developments.
Tierney says pick-up is contained on the property since the business schedules pick-up windows in advance and provides 550 feet of internal circulation for customers. Pick-ups last anywhere from seconds to a few minutes, she said.
With the special use permit, the farm can continue operating without making alterations, which would likely include paving a drive-through for its farm store, creating striped parking for customers or submitting a site plan with a sidewalk.
About the business
While owner Leeza Tierney acquired the property in 2019, she said her family started raising chickens during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family began sharing extra eggs with neighbors and from there, the property began adding other services neighbors requested.
Since then, the farm has been selling pasture-raised eggs, plants, dairy and other farm products. The 75 Oaks also offers educational programming for toddlers, school-aged children and adults.
“They don’t just feed the body,” Cindy Hoelscher said. “They feed the soul.”
More than 250 families from 14 Central Texas communities visit the farm each week, documents from the business state. Tierney said the business spends $40,000 annually with locally owned Leander businesses.
The 75 Oaks takes its name from the number of oak trees on the property. The farm is Leander's only "NICE" native plant nursery, a recognition from the Native Plant Society of Texas.
NICE nurseries specialize in native plants suited to Texas’ climate and ecosystems.
Looking ahead
Beyond approving the special use permit for The 75 Oaks farm, members of the Leander City Council discussed future opportunities for urban farming.
Mayor Na'Cole Thompson said the city is working to create an ordinance that will allow property owners to have urban farms if certain requirements are met.
While discussing the area, city leaders also said Horizon Park Boulevard "will most likely" become a capital improvements project in the future as the road is in poor condition.
