Round Rock gives developer second option as rental prices drop

Brad Dushkin, Round Rock Planned and Development Services director, said in 2023 the high-density option “made sense economically,” said at an April 21 packet briefing.

“But since then, there’s been a building boom in multifamily,” Dushkin said. “Rents have come down drastically.”

The median rental price of a one-bedroom unit in Round Rock declined by 7.5% from March 2025 to March 2026, according to data by Zumper. For the same time period, the rent for two-bedroom units dropped by 4.2%.

Diving deeper

Dushkin said city staff are using the Planned Unit Development “as a template” as the department looks at other amendments to Round Rock’s comprehensive plan, zoning and development code that staff will bring to council in the coming months.

“So the PUD amendment will keep the original high-density option [and] is going to add a new medium density option,” Dushkin said. “They’re not going to be allowed to mix and match their standards between the two. You’re going to have to pick A or B and ride that all the way through.”

If the developer chooses to go forward with the high-density housing option, it would allow up to 375 apartment units, with up to four- and five-story tall buildings. It also allows for up to 12 townhouse units per acre on the southern portion of the property.

The medium-density option would instead allow up to 285 multifamily units, with three- and four-story tall buildings. Four-story buildings could not be built closer to the southern property line than any three-story buildings.

Dushkin said the developer would be “locking in” the housing option once it submits its site plan application to the city.