No end in sight for Burnet County growth

Burnet County will likely continue its current boom in growth and development, said the county’s Director of Development Services, Herb Darling. He shared the scope of that growth during a Burnet Chamber of Commerce Coffee and Conversation program on Tuesday, June 20.

“When I started this job (28 years ago) with Burnet County, cows outnumbered people three to one,” Darling said. “Now, people outnumber cows three to one.”

The Development Services office is responsible for reviewing Burnet County plats and subdivisions, giving building and septic permits, conducting flood plain inspections, and a wide range of other property-related services. While Darling expressed concerns about the scale of development, he explained that the county is bound by Texas local government code, which doesn’t allow for serious regulation of subdivisions.

He painted a picture of recent growth, starting with the size of Burnet County, which comes in at 640,000 acres. Development Services has platted 15,000 acres since August 2021 with an average lot size of 7.5 acres. In 2022, his office added over 1,450 new addresses to the county, which doesn’t include anything within incorporated boundaries. More than $200 million in new construction happened in 2022, again all in the unincorporated areas.

“Who would have ever thought that somebody would pay $30,000 an acre for flat, black clay that doesn’t have a tree on it,” Darling said of the land surrounding Briggs in the northeast part of Burnet County. “But they’ve lined up and done it.”

The limitations of the local government code were made apparent during a recent meeting of the Burnet County Commissioners Court during which commissioners discussed approving a 210-lot subdivision on 1,000 acres near Briggs. The developers had met all legal requirements, but the county and area residents had major concerns about the availability of groundwater. Commissioners rejected the preliminary plat approval for the subdivision, opening up the county to potential lawsuits from the developer. The matter will likely be addressed again during the June 27 meeting.

Darling pointed out that counties have far less power to regulate development than cities do.

“Cities, on the other hand, could say that every yard has to have six pink flamingos in it, and if they’re a home rule city, they can fine you if you don’t have your six pink flamingos,” he said.

One recent power the county has was adopted in 2019. Texas local government code 232.0032 allows counties to require a groundwater availability study for subdivisions. If a developer is not able to prove a viable amount of groundwater is available to support the proposed subdivision, the county can deny the development’s plat.

Groundwater in Burnet County is also regulated by the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District, which has the ability to manage or restrict development based on groundwater availability.

Water was the greatest point of concern for Darling, who explained that Burnet County lies on the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and depends heavily on floods to replenish reservoirs and aquifers. As of now, Lake Travis is only 43 percent full and Lake Buchanan is about 53 percent full. Both lakes are the water supply reservoirs for most Highland Lakes communities and the city of Austin.

“Anytime a developer walks in, there are three very important things that we require from them: water, water, water,” he said.

The major concern is for higher-density developments, which Darling defined as subdivisions with lots that are less than an acre. Most of this is occurring in the southeast corner of the county near Spicewood. Thomas Ranch is one such subdivision. It plans to build 3,500 homes on 2,200 acres between Burnet and Travis counties.

He also noted that remote areas of the county, like Naruna and Briggs, are seeing outsized development.

“We’ve probably put 900 lots on the ground in Naruna in the last five years,” Darling said. “Why? I don’t know. You’re 40 minutes from a loaf of bread. Have a heart attack? You’re done. Get snakebit? You might make it.”

Roads are also an issue. Darling explained that county roads are breaking down quickly due to increased traffic, a rise in trucking activity, and freak weather events like the recent winter storms. State highways will need to be addressed, too, he said.

“In the last five to six years, your county judge and Commissioners Court have been very proactive in seeking federal and state dollars for our highways,” he told the audience.

With increased property values and development, Burnet County is receiving more tax revenue, which should allow it to eventually catch up with road repairs. Darling asked that residents contact their state representative, Ellen Troxclair, and state senator, Pete Flores, to lobby for more attention to highways if they want to see changes made.

“I don’t consider us behind; we’re trying,” Darling told DailyTrib.com after his presentation. “I’ve got a very proactive Commissioners Court, we’ve adopted the regulations that we can, and they’re working hard to get the road system back up.”

Darling expressed optimism for Burnet County’s ability to manage the growth but said the problems of water, power, and roadways would have to be addressed as development continues.

dakota@thepicayune.com