Updated Nov. 16 at 9:11 p.m. to include Leander City Council's decisions on Leander Village and the activity center land use category.

Leander City Council approved the concept plan for Leander Village, with the addition that the Overlook Bend cul-de-sac be used as a pedestrian access only and the recommendation that the developer enter into a discussion with residents of Overlook Estates. The council voted 5-1, with Council Member Troy Hill voting against and Council Member Shanan Shepherd absent.

Council members voted unanimously in favor of the request for a comprehensive plan amendment changing land use category from neighborhood residential and mixed-use corridor to activity center on approximately 77.234 acres southwest of the intersection of Toll 183A and RM 2243.

Mayor Christopher Fielder said City Council met privately with the developer and plans for the property are confidential. He said the change in land use category was needed in order to secure a potential development. In the approved motion, Fielder added the stipulation that if the agreement does not close within 12 months, the land use category would revert back to neighborhood residential and mixed-use corridor.

Original story posted Nov. 16 at 12:55 p.m.

Requests for an apartment complex and retail center near the Overlook Estates subdivision on Horizon Park Boulevard are set to be discussed during Leander City Council’s meeting Nov. 16.

LEANDER VILLAGE

Council members will consider a concept plan for Leander Village, a development containing 270 multi-family units, 10 single-family units, approximately 5.38 acres of parkland and 5.61 acres of commercial property, according to meeting documents.

Borders of the project hit Toll 183 and two streets in the Overlook Estates neighborhood, Overlook Bend and Richardson Lane.

Ten Overlook Estates residents spoke against the concept plan at the Leander Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Nov. 9, where it was first proposed, with concerns about the development and how the plan showed cul-de-sac Overlook Bend serving as a point of access to Leander Village. Many asked that the concept plan be tabled until the developer could meet with residents to discuss options.

“I am most concerned about that access through the cul-de-sac,” Commissioner Laura Lantrip said. “A cul-de-sac implies that you’re not going to have traffic, and when you buy property on a cul-de-sac, you don’t ever expect it to suddenly become a full road.”

Jerry Kelso, a civil engineer representing the landowner, said they would be “happy to” take that access off and add a pedestrian path instead, if the pedestrian path would meet the city’s connection requirements.

The zoning commission was required by Texas Local Government Code to approve the concept plan because it met all regulations. They decided to recommend the plan to City Council with the suggestion from Commissioner Marshall Hines that the council members discuss how to mitigate neighborhood concerns about connectivity.

Separate from the motion, Hines also encouraged the developer to open up communication channels with Overlook Estates residents.

According to meeting documents, the type of connection from Leander Village to Overlook Bend can be decided in the preliminary plat stage.

ACTIVITY CENTER

Ten Overlook Estates residents spoke again when the zoning commission deliberated an amendment to the city’s Comprehensive Plan land use category from Mixed Use Corridor and Neighborhood Residential to Activity Center for property southwest of the intersection of Toll 183A and RM 2243.

Applicant Michael Neary said the “tone” of the project right now, at early planning stages, is for a mixed-use development with retail, entertainment, offices and possibly a hotel.

Tina Ritter, who lives in Overlook Estates, said the development would create “undue burden” for neighbors, with early morning truck deliveries and a nearby parking lot potentially decreasing home values. She mentioned how there are two activity centers already underway in the area.

“I want to respect the value and the lifestyle of the neighborhood,” Ritter said. “I feel like our community doesn’t need that level of development.”

The commission did not approve a recommendation for City Council on the activity center. A motion in favor of the request failed two to three with commissioners Hines, Lantrip and Angela Means voting against it and John Cosgrove and Vice Chair Jason Anderson voting for it.

“I did not feel that I had enough information for the long-term implications of adding a center right there,” Lantrip said.

Council members will consider the proposal Nov. 16 without a recommendation from the zoning commission.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Hill Country Bible Church Leander, 11880 Hero Way West, Leander. Council will meet beforehand at 6 p.m. for a workshop, according to the agenda.