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Council defers Chapel Run Section 5 exemption appeal amid water‑supply concerns; staff recommended denial
Summary
The council deferred an appeal from the Signorelli Company seeking an exemption from Conroe’s temporary development moratorium for Chapel Run Section 5; staff recommended denial citing water system limitations and infrastructure timing.
Council members on July 9 deferred a developer’s appeal seeking an exemption from the city’s temporary moratorium on development for Chapel Run Section 5, citing unresolved water‑supply and infrastructure concerns.
The appeal: Jeff DeWeese of the Signorelli Company asked the council to grant an exemption to permit civil plan approvals so the developer could meet a prior memorandum of understanding (MOU) that required Signorelli to extend a natural‑gas line to a city pump station. DeWeese said the MOU envisioned work taking place well before homes would be built — he estimated 15 months from plan approval to lots on the ground and 18 months to initial home construction — and argued the delay created a “catch‑22” that endangered both parties’ ability to meet the MOU.
Staff recommendation and council action: Director Maguire and other staff recommended denial. Maguire said staff’s original recommendation had been to deny the exemption because permitting plan approvals without water and wastewater available would start a chain of permits that could not be undone easily. After discussion with DeWeese and staff about timelines and possible conditional approaches, council agreed to defer the appeal to allow staff and the developer to negotiate possible conditions or timing commitments.
Timing and water capacity concerns: Council members and staff noted the Chapel Run site is in the city’s western pressure plane, which is the most constrained area for water supply. Maguire told the council the city has three projects under design expected to add supply and that the earliest relief might be nine months to a year for the first project. He cautioned that “once we permit and get everything going … you started the series of permits,” meaning infrastructure commitments could outpace available water.
Second appeal on the agenda: staff also presented a separate appeal involving a single‑lot project on Oak Bend Circle (a new single‑family residence). Maguire said that parcel lies in the Wedgwood pressure plane, which he described as “starving for water.” Staff recommended denying that request and asked the council to keep the application in an applied status until additional supply projects (including Water Plant 32) come online.
Council direction: the council voted to defer the Chapel Run Section 5 appeal pending further discussions between the developer and staff; staff will return with recommendations and possible legal or conditional mechanisms. For the Oak Bend single‑lot request staff recommended denial and maintaining an applied status pending additional water availability.
