City approves amended development agreement for large subdivision
Dripping Springs City Council members approved the amended Development Agreement for the Anarene/ Double L subdivision, an approximately 1,700-hundred-acre tract of land located north of Hwy 290, straddling RR 12, at last week’s council meeting. The approval comes after months of extensive meetings and public hearings, and with modifications from the developer.
The original Development Agreement was adopted in 2012 and amended in 2015. This new approved amended agreement calls for an increase in houses, but adds a set amount of senior living units, from the 2015 agreement, a road system to ease traffic, and more.
Key components of the new agreement include:
• 1,677 acres total
• 2,231 residences ranging from garden homes to estate homes of over an acre
• 250 senior living multifamily units
• 200 acres for commercial use to include Retail & Office space
• Land for a future DSISD school
• 474 acres of open space and parkland, including public trails
The plan and amended development agreement were shared at three City Council meetings, three Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, and at both Parks & Recreation Commission and Transportation Committee meetings. City officials said that public input influenced changes from presentation at Planning and Zoning Commission in August to final approval.
According to Mim James, Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, “We’ve spent many hours and conducted many meetings with both the public and the developer, to make sure the Anarene/ Double L subdivision meets the needs of all involved: the needs of current and future residents; the needs of the developer; and the needs of the city. We understand the concerns that growth can bring. But growth is inevitable with a desirable community such as Dripping Springs. So, it’s our duty as public servants to balance that growth with the needs of our current citizens. As such, we’ve worked diligently with the applicant to make sure they are doing what they need to do to make this development a benefit to the City.”
Through the process, Anarene/Double L worked to address the concerns that have been expressed to them from both citizens and the Development Agreement Working Group of city staff and officials.
According to the city, some of those concerns and changes include:
• Improved density, going from 2,843 dwelling units including 435 multi-family units (plus up to 10% increase) at initial presentation of this amended agreement a maximum of 2,231 dwelling units plus up to 250 senior family living units
• Added buffers between Anarene/Double L Ranch residential housing and residents in current developments, with those buffers ranging from 25ft to 100ft
• Moved lots around to be more compatible with current residential developments in the area
• Agreed to comply with lighting, landscaping, and building code requirements by the City despite being outside the city limits
• Addressed traffic concerns by adding arterials that will be built to provide connectivity to Big Sky and Wild Ridge, including a four-lane minor arterial between RM 12 and US 290 and other arterials
• Created 472 acres of parkland and open space, including additional trails and potential trail connectivity between the Dripping Springs Ranch Park to the future Rathgeber Natural Resource Park
Some residents continued to express their concerns regarding cross-traffic in their neighborhoods during the meeting. The Council agreed to look at those concerns during the development stage. According to Mayor Pro Tem Taline Manassian, “We understand the concerns of homeowners about traffic through their neighborhoods. However, every time a new development comes to our area, one of our top concerns is how are we helping traffic in this community as a whole. We try to create options to help everyone get around more smoothly. Connecting new neighborhoods with existing neighborhoods and new roads with existing roads is a key part of that. Our goal is to create the connectivity in the best way possible and to help ease traffic for all residents and businesses throughout the city.”
Now that the amended agreement has been approved, Anarene/Double L subdivision will begin construction of phase 1 of the roads and infrastructure once their application for a preliminary plat is approved by the city.
As they begin that first phase and throughout the process, traffic, environmental review, impervious cover, and water quality will continue to be reviewed under state law, city ordinance, and the newly amended Development Agreement. Once houses start being built, all construction will be subject to the city’s building code, landscaping, and lighting ordinance as required by the Development Agreement.