Council approves replat and site plan for Pearl townhomes after executive session; council presses developer on affiliations

After an executive session, the Bee Cave City Council voted unanimously to approve the replat of Block B, Lot 4 (and related lots) in the Hill Country Galleria subdivision and to approve the site plan and NPS plan for the Pearl townhomes at 13216 Bee Cave Parkway.

City planning staff, referencing Planned Development District (PDD) ordinance No. 480 and Planning & Zoning Commission order No. 2025-01, summarized technical corrections the applicant had made. Staff said the replat and site plan incorporate recorded instruments that vacate or amend multiple electric, telephone, drainage and access easements and that the applicant had provided recording information required by the subdivision ordinance. Staff also said the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval on June 3, 2025, subject to the recorded instruments and updated plat notes.

Kim Potok of Friese and Nichols, representing the applicant, described the project site and technical details. Potok said the original site contained infrastructure from an earlier development (including pavement, a pump system, a building foundation, a fountain, steps, walls, a deck and a helipad) that the project will remove. The proposed development will include 13 buildings comprising 55 townhome lots, associated water/wastewater infrastructure to be provided by the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, a retention-irrigation water-quality facility, a detention pond and a 12,000-gallon rainwater-harvesting tank described as about 17 feet tall. Potok said the plan’s impervious-cover calculation is 2.766 acres, just under the applicable 2.77-acre limit; she also described porous sidewalks and fire lanes and explained how the stormwater system will route overflow to the irrigation and detention ponds.

Following the presentation, a council member raised questions about the developer’s affiliations and whether related entities (including references to the Lovett Group and the Morgan Group in the transcript) were tied to the project; the council member said a public records email indicated contact between a former council member and a company associated with the developer. An owner representative told the council the company intends to build as shown on the site plan and said senior management has reviewed the disclosed contacts and committed to avoid conflicts of interest with the city on the project. The owner representative described a typical construction phasing approach—staggered starts for buildings with certificates of occupancy issued building-by-building—and said he would provide a schedule when available. City staff advised the applicant to review PDD phasing language to confirm whether a PDD amendment is required for phased certificates of occupancy.

When the council reconvened from executive session, members moved to approve the replat and the site and NPS plan; both motions passed unanimously.

The council did not record additional actions arising from the executive session. City staff noted the recorded easements and replat instruments will be added to the official record as required.