Burnet solidifies deal with 326-acre subdivision
The rough area of the newly-amended Honey Rock development, encompassing 326.63 acres of land near U.S. 281 and Ramsey’s Way in Burnet. Google Maps image enhanced with DailyTrib graphics
A planned subdivision along U.S. 281 in Burnet was recently reapproved for development during a July 14 City Council meeting with several new amendments to help ease construction strains, and allow the city to annex over a hundred acres of land into its jurisdiction.
The Honey Rock Ranch development, planned to run along U.S. 281 near Ramsey’s Way, is a proposed 326.63-acre subdivision that has been in the works since at least 2006. Since then, roughly 40 homes have been established in two phases of work.
The updated development was said to consist of mostly half-acre, single-family residential lots, totaling roughly 300 acres, with an accompanying 28 acres of multi-family and medium commercial lots.
No exact timeline for the development’s completion was provided, however, City Manager David Vaughn told DailyTrib on Tuesday, July 21, that he believed the developer wanted to see “lots on the ground within the next year.”
Vaughn told councilors during the July 14 meeting that access to city water and sewage sources were key to prompting the development’s amendment.
“The key part for (Honey Rock) is that they didn’t have access to our water,” he said. “And the sewer’s a huge problem on the front of it. The closest sewer is up at Ramsey’s Way. This agreement gives them the right to sewer on the (single-family) lots.”
The agreement included a clause for the city to annex 151.11 acres of land into its jurisdiction, which would give the entire development access to city water.
Vaughn told DailyTrib that the annexation would also allow the city to inch nearer to finalizing development on its electric service area, which helps finance critical services like police and fire.
Other conditions approved by the council for Honey Rock’s development included:
- The creation of a property owners association to maintain drainage, bike paths, open spaces, and amenities
- Requirements for single-family lots to be at least a half-acre in size with 1,750 square-feet of living space
- Construction of water, sewer, road, sidewalk, and drainage infrastructure on the development’s own dime, and in compliance with city codes
- Prior plat applications and approvals will be withdrawn and made void