Lockhart council approves 90-day extension for Hillwood Communities’ MUD consent

The Lockhart City Council on Tuesday approved a 90-day extension of conditional consent for Hillwood Communities to form the Lockhart Municipal Utility District of Caldwell County, a motion that passed unanimously, 7-0.

Councilmember Larson moved to approve Resolution 2025-24 extending the city’s prior consent; Mayor Pro Tem Gonzales Sanchez seconded the motion. The council voted in favor without further amendment.

The extension covers a consent area totaling about 889.3 acres, of which 720.681 acres lie inside the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). City staff and the developer said an additional 148.5 acres has been identified for possible inclusion; if added it would create a combined area of roughly 1,037.8 acres.

A Hillwood Communities representative told council the version of the resolution provided to members had a late update clarifying that the property owner “consents to the request for the extension.” City staff explained the original conditional consent had been approved by Resolution 2025-08 on Feb. 18 and that the existing consent agreement was scheduled to expire Aug. 17, which prompted the developer’s request for more time.

City staff described the extension as a pause to allow negotiations on a development agreement to continue. Officials said portions of the consent area currently fall outside Lockhart’s ETJ and that, as part of future development agreements, the developer expects to petition to have those parcels join the ETJ.

Council members did not request changes to the extension term; staff noted the 90-day period was the applicant’s request and could be extended again if needed. No formal conditions or funding obligations were adopted with the resolution.

The action preserves the city’s prior conditional consent while developers and property owners continue to finalize the development agreement and related petitions that would affect jurisdiction and infrastructure plans.