After two of the largest annexations in Kyle’s history, the city has grown from 20 to 30 square miles in just a few months.

The annexations happened in two phases, city officials said. In April, Kyle City Council approved the involuntary annexation of 529 acres. In early May, the city voted to annex another 6,500 acres  southwest of the city by petition from the landowners. As of early July, the city was awaiting development proposals from those landowners and developers.

“We’re in a wait-and-see position to find out what the owners are going to bring to us, and then we’ll review it when it gets here,” said Planning Director Howard Koontz.

In all, the city annexed 7,017 acres of what is mostly undeveloped land, Koontz said. Of those thousands of acres, 75 residences were annexed into the city.

The annexed sections include property on which the owners have proposed residential and commercial development as well as the residences of homeowners who were annexed involuntarily.

“The city had been recognizing for a while some increasing development pressure,” Koontz said.

Standards, annexation benefits

Kyle and Hays County have different development standards, Koontz said, and the city’s standards are more rigorous. If the annexed areas were to be developed outside Kyle’s city limits, the city would have no say in the development standards, which govern allowable building materials as well as street design and density.

The 6,500-acre annexation is considered the future of Kyle as the city continues to grow, Kyle City Manager Scott Sellers said.

Koontz said that as the population in the area grows, new residents will look to that 6,500-acre area for housing whether it falls within the city or not.  Without annexation, the city would have to one day consider bringing a county subdivision that was not built to city standards into the city limits.

“We wanted to be able to put ourselves in a position where we’re in front of the development, rather than trying to play catch-up behind it,” Koontz said.

Annexing the land could also mean spreading out the burden of Kyle’s city property tax rate in the future, Sellers said.

Site plans

Although a specific site plan has not yet been released, developers of the 6,500-acre tract have proposed a mix of residential and commercial units for the property.

“I think there will probably be a healthy mix of what they’re going to build, as far as residential and retail services that support residential (developments),” Koontz said.

The development will provide additional resources for residents as Kyle, a city of more than 30,000 residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau, continues to grow, Sellers said.

“We can probably very reasonably foresee a 50,000 population in Kyle by 2020,” he said. “While it’s daunting and overwhelming to have so much growth ahead of us, at least we have a way to plan for it now, whereas we didn’t before.”

“Every night before I go to bed, I thank God I’m not getting all the government I pay for. Now I’ve got more government than I’m paying for, and they’re not going to like me as a citizen.”

—Lynn Wilkerson, recently annexed Kyle resident

However, not all landowners in the annexed sections of Kyle were seeking to become a part of the city. When landowners just east of those who requested annexation asked to not be brought into the city, Kyle officials began considering use of development agreements, Sellers said.

Fifteen property owners who use their land for agricultural purposes compromised and signed development agreements, Sellers said. According to state law, exemptions must be available to those who use their land for agriculture. These agreements mean the property is preserved for the landowner’s use and will remain unannexed for up to 45 years as long as it continues to be used for agriculture.

“At any point in time, when they change the use of the property, like develop houses and sell, annexation is triggered, and [annexation] basically becomes voluntary,” he said.

Opposition to annexation

The portion of annexed land east of South Old Stagecoach Road was annexed involuntarily, Koontz said.

“The reason that it was involuntarily annexed was because it’s directly adjacent to our city limits, and it’s really close to our downtown,” Koontz said. “That’s where we believe development pressures were going to show up next, for most likely a residential product that we wouldn’t necessarily have tight enough land-use controls on.”

Lynn Wilkerson, who lives and works on his property that was a part of the involuntary annexation, said he felt “sick” about being annexed into the city.

“I didn’t even think about moving into the city of Kyle,” Wilkerson said. “The city has moved to me.”

Wilkerson owns Great Big Signs, a company that offers commercial art and design services.  He is concerned about increasing density as he sandblasts and works with fiberglass to build signs on his property. Changing development standards could potentially affect his business practices.

“In our business, we do activities that you’d have to do in an industrial park in Austin,” he said.

He also keeps farm animals on the property. Being in the city limits could put his property in violation of the city’s animal ordinance.

“Occasionally a chicken wanders through the shop, and I’m OK with that,” Wilkerson said.

The city’s animal ordinance places restrictions on animals within Kyle’s city limits. According to the ordinance, residents zoned for agricultural use may have up to six hens and no roosters and one head of livestock per acre of land.

Newly annexed residents should follow existing city ordinances, said Animal Control Officer Briana Breacher in an email. However, Kyle officials often review ordinances to ensure they are working as intended, she said.

“We may review our animal control ordinance to see if we need to revise it to meet the needs of our more rural residents,” Breacher said.

Wilkerson said he is also troubled about having to pay more taxes now that he is in the city limits. According to the city, Kyle’s city property tax rate is $0.5848 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation, the highest in Hays County.

“Every night before I go to bed, I thank God I’m not getting all the government I pay for,” Wilkerson said. “Now I’ve got more government than I’m paying for, and they’re not going to like me as a citizen.”

Wilkerson said he is not interested in the perks that may come along with officially residing in the city of Kyle, such as police services or using local swimming pools, he said.

“They don’t have anything to offer me,” he said. “That’s a choice I made when I moved out here.”

Koontz said that in the long run, even those who have been involuntarily annexed will see an increase in value of their land.

“I don’t actually perceive any negatives to [the annexation],” Koontz said. “We wouldn’t do anything that’s going to harm folks. I don’t think it’s going to do anything but make the city better.”