Government
BY ANNA MANESS & GRACIE WARHURST
Round Rock awards development agreement for a ordable housing Round Rock will provide out-of-city water and wastewater services to property owner and future developer Frontera Hillside Land following City Council’s approval of the service and developer agreements at a March 27 meeting. The details Frontera Hillside Land owns about 10 acres on the corner of CR 172 and SH 45 in Round Rock’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The site is surrounded by city limits on three sides. The developer pro- posed a hybrid of high-density and medium-den- sity multifamily developments, which would include 365 units. Because the proposed apartments are in the city’s ETJ, the developer requested an out-of- city agreement to receive water and wastewater services, which City Council approved. The breakdown The out-of-city agreement allows the develop- ment a maximum of 183 living unit equivalents for water and wastewater, plus eight additional LUEs Chamber identies potential for growth The Round Rock Chamber of Commerce worked with agency Solutions Focused to nd areas for potential economic growth. The results Round Rock ranks second for startup ecosystem health among areas within the Austin “cluster.” Round Rock’s strengths include a lower cost of living than Austin, a strong commu- nity and a growing support system, accord- ing to the agency. The city faces challenges like resource gaps, limited mentorship and missing infrastructure. Solutions Focused’s recommendations include partnering with accelerators, increasing coworking facilities and enhanc- ing community engagement.
Water line extension planned for church Round Rock City Council approved an out- of-city water service agreement for a property in its extraterritorial jurisdiction at its meeting April 10. The details Round Rock provides water to a nearby county park, and the property owner will extend the water line across the road for its use. The project will also require a 1.5-inch meter, a representation of the typical water demand produced by a residence. Because the property is not contiguous with city limits, the owner is not required to voluntarily annex into Round Rock. The site is planned to host the St. Alphonsa Syro-Mala- bar Catholic Church.
172
HESTERS CROSSING RD.
45
N
for irrigation. A LUE estimates the average ow for a standard residence each day for service demands. The customer will pay twice the in-city retail rates for water and wastewater, a wastewater and water connection fee, roadway improvement fee and parkland fee, which mirror fees for in-city developments. What else? Frontera Hillside Land partnered with the Texas Housing Foundation to obtain nancing in exchange for oering aordable units. This agreement exempts the developer from property taxes, as long as it reserves at least 50% of the available units to those making 80% or less of the area median income. Animal shelter proposal adds Georgetown The Georgetown Animal Shelter is on track to merge with the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter this summer. The setup At an April 8 Georgetown City Council meeting, ocials approved an interlocal agreement with Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander and Hutto—the WCRAS’ current member cities—as its rst step in the merger. The four cities were expected to take action on the agreement by late April, and Williamson County Commissioners were to take action May 6. If all required parties approve the agreement through the proposed timeline, the merger would take eect July 5. How we got here The Georgetown Animal Shelter originally
175
PERRY MAYFIELD BLVD.
N
Projected WilCo Regional Animal Shelter capacity needs 202345
Current cat capacity Current dog capacity
Projected cat capacity Projected dog capacity
196
159
229
195
282
240
338
298
SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWNCOMMUNITY IMPACT
opened in 2005 and consistently holds more animals than it was intended to. Georgetown voters approved a $15 million bond proposition in November 2023, and funding will be used for a WCRAS expansion, pending the merger approval. The bond is written in a way that would allow Georgetown ocials to expand its existing shelter if the merger is not approved.
15
ROUND ROCK EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook