Elgin council annexes two tracts, approves PDD for 114-home Swinson Boulevard development and authorizes related utility and permitting agreements

The Elgin City Council on Feb. 18 unanimously annexed two tracts near Swinson Boulevard, assigned the properties to Ward 2 and rezoned the combined 28.823 acres to a Planned Development District that staff said will allow about 110–114 single-family homes. Council members also approved engineering services for Wastewater Plant 2 and a master-agreement amendment with Aqua Water Supply Company to allow city water service for the site.

The actions matter because the annexation, zoning and related utility approvals make the 50-foot-front-lot subdivision proposed by developer Saratoga Homes buildable within Elgin city limits and set the framework for required infrastructure — water, sewer and road connections — to serve the new neighborhood.

City staff presented the development as two sister tracts: a 4.909-acre parcel (Bastrop County Appraisal District parcel number 99528) and a 23.914-acre parcel (parcel number 39675) lying in the Elizabeth Standifer survey, Abstract 59. Mr. Perry, a city staff member, said the two annexations and the subsequent PDD are being handled together because they form a single development that will extend city limits east of the Public Works building along Swinson Boulevard toward the wastewater treatment plant.

"The next four items are all related to one singular development," Perry told the council, noting the developer intends single-family lots generally over 6,000 square feet with 50-foot frontages (the city's R‑1 standard is 60 feet). He said corner lots will be limited to single-story homes under the PDD and that the developer will protect several heritage trees on the site.

The PDD calls for interconnectivity to the adjacent Trinity Ranch subdivision and a future collector extension to U.S. 290 to provide an additional ingress and egress route. Perry said the subdivision will be served by Aqua/ACWA for retail water service and by the City of Elgin for sanitary sewer. Staff also said the developer will dedicate a strip of property to the city near the wastewater treatment plant to improve access and buffering around that facility.

On parks and open space, staff said the project will provide about 4.21 acres of open space. Those open-space areas will be owned and maintained by a homeowners association; city staff said the city will receive park-dedication fees per lot that can be allocated for regional park projects rather than absorbing pocket parks for maintenance.

Council approved the annexations (4.909-acre tract and 23.914-acre tract), the assignment of the newly annexed property to Ward 2, and the PDD rezoning in separate motions; each vote passed unanimously. The council also approved a professional-services proposal with WGA for permitting and review work on Wastewater Plant 2 and unanimously authorized the mayor to execute an amendment with Aqua Water Supply Company regarding service-area/master-agreement matters needed to serve the roads tract.

Council members asked technical questions during the PDD discussion about water supply (whether Aqua/ACWA had capacity and whether a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity transfer was involved), detention design and the nature of park amenities. Perry and other staff said Aqua currently provides service in the area, that a CCN transfer has been discussed for other nearby tracts and that detention/bio‑retention will follow state and city engineering review prior to construction.

Actions taken on the agenda items will allow the developer to proceed to the subdivision engineering (construction plans and a capital improvement agreement) and set the conditions that travel with the land under the PDD if future owners or builders seek to develop the property.

The council's approvals do not themselves obligate the city to build the subdivision infrastructure; staff said the developer will construct required public improvements to city standards and that the city will review and accept improvements according to normal processes.

Ending: The developer for the project is Saratoga Homes; staff said additional engineering and subdivision-review steps remain before permits are issued and construction can begin. The council also authorized immediate permitting work for a second wastewater treatment facility (Wastewater Plant 2) to serve future west-side development, and it approved the service-area amendment to allow city water service to the roads tract. Staff said they expect to return with engineering plans and any required development agreements as those items progress.