60-lot, 170-acre subdivision in Marble Falls proposed
CONNIE SWINNEY • STAFF WRITER
MARBLE FALLS — A proposed new subdivision adjacent to Marble Falls High School would not only help remedy a housing shortage in the community but emphasize a low-density footprint with green space and larger lots, officials say.
The Mustang Ridge development on 170 acres would feature 60 estate lots and could break ground on infrastructure as soon as January 2017.
“It will be an opportunity for an area to be developed that will bring much-needed homes to Marble Falls,” Marble Falls Mayor John Packer said.
National Land Partners LLC has proposed prepping the land, where lots are expected be sold to builders for home construction.
“As our community is growing and some of the things that are going on in the area, we already know we have a tough housing market for people to find homes,” Packer said. “For instance, the hospital has over 400 employees. There haven’t been that many homes in Marble Falls, so a lot of them don’t live in Marble Falls right now.”
On Nov. 1, the Marble Falls City Council approved re-zoning the area to accommodate the less dense proposed development, which would be located off RR 1431 just north of the existing Wildflower Subdivision.
“It was (previously) zoned for hundreds and hundreds of houses, a lot of density,” Assistant City Manager Caleb Kraenzel said. “The developer wanted to put in a subdivision that is more rural in nature as far as large lots.”
The new zoning allows for “a larger minimum lot size,” he said.
“The residents in that area have conveyed that they like the idea of a lower-density subdivision (that) preserves a lot more of the natural terrain than something higher density with hundreds of houses that would have a much larger impact on that area — not just infrastructure but transportation,” Kraenzel said.
A higher-density development would face more challenges.
“It’s a difficult area to develop due to the rocks and hills,” he said. “(The proposed subdivision) will keep it a nicer, more open area.”
Other developments underway in the city include two apartment complexes: one just off Mormon Mill Road currently under construction and the other in south Marble Falls adjacent to the Holiday Inn Express, where a site plan was recently approved.
“It’s definitely a good time. We definitely need homes and new apartments,” Packer said. “The market has probably just changed. Now developers can afford to get in and do some things.”
connie@thepicayune.com