Leander Planning and Zoning Commission denies Leander Springs PUD amendment after water, height and adjacency concerns

The City of Leander Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1 to deny a proposed amendment to the Leander Springs planned unit development (PUD) that would have revised phasing rules, reduced overall apartment counts in some areas and allowed a lagoon and up to 1,200 apartment units on roughly 77.9 acres near the intersection of US 183A and RM 2243.

The denial followed a public hearing in which nearby residents warned the commission the development could strain local water supplies, remove established greenbelt buffers and introduce tall multifamily buildings adjacent to single-family neighborhoods. Vice Chair moved to deny the PUD amendment; the motion passed with four votes in favor and one dissent from Commissioner Morales.

Why it matters: The proposed amendment would have restored broader development entitlements tied historically to a previous PUD and its phasing rules and would have allowed a large vertical-mixed-use multifamily component and a lagoon amenity on the site. Opponents said the lagoon and multifamily elements raise water-supply, screening and compatibility questions that were not answered to the commission’s satisfaction.

What was…