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Council approves partial variances and city acceptance plan for Northgate (Buckner/Baptist) development
Summary
Council voted 5‑0 to accept staff’s negotiated partial variances and to allow the city to take on internal streets after required improvements and a developer agreement; residents voiced maintenance and tax concerns during public comment.
The San Angelo City Council approved staff‑recommended, partial variances and a plan to accept internal streets for the Northgate residential project — a redevelopment led by Baptist Memorial and Buckner — after public comment and staff negotiation.
Aaron Vannoy, director of Planning and Development Services, said the project covers about nine acres with 49 lots and includes two existing private roads (Northstar and Northgate) that the developer proposes to dedicate to the city after improvements. Staff and the developer agreed to require a mill and overlay of the internal streets, curb and gutter on North Post Street where needed, a required sidewalk only on East 14th Street (a major collector) and continued design coordination to address drainage and alignment.
The planning director said staff and the developer also discussed abandoning a short segment of the East 18th Bypass to reallocate land to lots and better channel drainage; abandonment and any replat would follow the city’s normal approval processes.
Residents and representatives of the development spoke at the meeting. Jerry Davenport, a resident inside the community, opposed immediate city acceptance because the community is currently maintained by Buckner and some residents are concerned about property‑tax status and the timing of maintenance responsibilities. Developer representatives and consulting engineers said Buckner intends to maintain the interior streets until the developer records plats and conveys lots; staff said the city normally assumes maintenance only after final acceptance and a warranty period are complete.
Staff estimated the work on the two internal streets to be in the mid‑hundreds of thousands of dollars (rough, project‑level figures) and estimated curb and gutter work on North Post Street similarly in the low to mid hundreds of thousands; developer representatives told council they have been working to refine costs and timelines. Staff and developers told council that the developer expects to begin selling lots in 2027, at which point tax rolls would begin to reflect newly conveyanced parcels.
Council members raised specific concerns about maintenance and asked staff to use a developer’s agreement to specify acceptance criteria and timing before the city assumes responsibility. Planning staff confirmed the city can require those contractual protections and will negotiate the terms.
Tommy Hebert moved to accept staff’s recommendation and conditions; Harry Thomas seconded. The council voted 5‑0 to approve the partial variances and the process for city acceptance once contract and improvement conditions are satisfied.
