Panther Creek Village gets go-ahead
After two months of debate, the Marble Falls City Council approved a zoning change to make way for Panther Creek Village, a 237-unit apartment complex with around 20,000 square-feet of designated commercial space. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
A zoning change for a 237-unit apartment complex with around 20,000 square-feet of designated commercial space was approved 6-1 by the Marble Falls City Council during its Tuesday, May 2, regular meeting. Panther Creek Village will be located near Panther Hollow off of U.S. 281 south of the bridge.
The vote comes after two months of negotiations between developer Marley Porter and city staff to ensure the project would have enough commercial space. The original plan was for 12,000 square-feet, leading to the council to initially deny the project on March 7.
Councilor Reed Norman, who voted against the apartments in that meeting but was one of the six votes in support on May 2, told DailyTrib.com he was pleased with Porter’s flexibility and willingness to work with the city.
“I really appreciate the developer for compromising,” he said. “I stated at the very beginning of this that I didn’t want to lose our commercial space. He was able to fit something in that won’t look out of place.”
Norman was also worried about potential drainage issues because of the site’s topography.
“I was concerned about the runoff,” he said. “It slopes off pretty good. Luckily, they’ve got a retention pond that they’re going to be putting in that should solve a lot of that.”
Plans for the new complex include amenities such as a resort pool, dog park, and pickleball court. The site also will have an additional 28,000 square-feet for 28 two-story condos with allowable commercial uses. The condos also can be rented short term.
The project will be completed in three separate phases. Phase I will include the designated commercial space and Phase II the 28,000 square-feet of condominiums. Phase III will signify the end of construction as builders move to the construction of the multifamily units.
Councilor Bryan Walker said he believes the project will be built more quickly than other complexes approved by councilors in recent months, which are still not underway.
“Even though we have plenty of plans out for apartments, we’re not seeing them get built,” Walker said. “This builder seems like they’re going to move rather quickly.”
Councilor Lauren Haltom voted against the zoning change.
