New office building could be headed to W. Hwy. 290 in South Austin

Sunset Valley City Council approved a zoning change for a residential property located on the north side of W. Hwy 290 near Stearns Lane.

The change to neighborhood commercial zoning was granted in anticipation of a new office building that could be developed on the property at 4800 W. Hwy. 290., Sunset Valley. Plans submitted by Townbridge Homes currently include a 15,000-square-foot office on a 2.1-acre tract, which would be used as a real estate office.

Although the change was approved July 7, a site plan will have to be reviewed by the city before a development permit could be issued.

Also, with the zoning change City Council approved a restriction that will prevent any future developments on the property to use Stearns Lane as an entrance or exit for vehicular traffic. The restriction was put in place after over 50 residents expressed concerns about future added traffic on the residential road.

Plans would have to be developed that allow ingress and egress from the property onto W. Hwy. 290. Those plans would then have to be approved by the Texas Department of Transportation to assure safety on the highway before a site plan could be approved by the city.

One option presented by Townbridge Homes would use the adjacent residential property, 4812 W. Hwy. 290, as a shared curb cut. A change request to switch the address to neighborhood commercial zoning is expected to take place over the next few months in anticipation of future growth.