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Conceptual plan for 112.88-acre Brewster property draws heavy public concern; Planning & Zoning recommended conditions
Summary
Developers presented a conceptual plan for about 112.88 acres formerly known as the Hahn property; Planning & Zoning recommended approval subject to a drainage study, a site entrance on FM 317 and a traffic study, but a council motion to approve the concept failed for lack of a second.
A conceptual plan for an approximately 112.88-acre property (the former Hahn/Brewster tract, property ID 135022) drew sustained public comment and a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission that the City Council approve the concept only after thorough drainage study and a traffic entrance off FM 317.
Residents raised repeated concerns about surface-water runoff, existing floodplain areas, and traffic at the North Main/State Highway 317 corridor. Connie Small Reedy, a retired McGregor ISD teacher and local farmer, warned that runoff and construction activity had already affected farmland and hay fields and asked the council to “please consider slowing our growth down and not allowing it all at once.” Boyd Herring, who lives north of the proposed development, described historical flows and told the council the conceptual plan placed housing “on top of the waterway,” saying that change would reduce land available to absorb runoff and could worsen flooding for existing homes.
Planning and Zoning voted to recommend approval of the conceptual plan with conditions that a drainage study be completed, that an entrance on FM 317 be added, and that a traffic study be performed. City staff and developers said the concept is preliminary and that detailed grading, detention and roadway designs would be addressed in engineering and platting; a developer representative said commercial areas were being held as a long-term reserve and that early uses might include a daycare if demand warrants.
At the council meeting a motion to approve the conceptual plan with the P&Z-recommended conditions was made but failed for lack of a second; no council approval was recorded. The Planning and Zoning recommendation therefore stands as a local advisory action; the developer and city staff said they would proceed to detailed engineering and traffic coordination if the council later grants concept approval or accepts plat filings.
The council also noted that improvements to the Spring Valley lift station, stormwater conveyance and other northern sewer infrastructure would be required before any large build-out proceeds; funding and timing for those projects were described as unresolved and likely to affect phasing and the number of initial connections available.
