Planning commission recommends approval of Pearl PDD amendment to allow phased turnovers, leaves hybrid beacon decision to city

The BK Planning and Zoning Commission on July 15 recommended that City Council approve an amendment to Ordinance 480, the Pearl Planned Development District, to allow phased certificates of occupancy and corresponding infrastructure turns for the Pearl multifamily tract and associated parcels.

The amendment replaces the PDDsingle-phase requirement with a building- and infrastructure-phasing plan, allows reordering of phases with city manager approval, lowers the workforce housing income threshold from 80% AMI to 75% AMI (holding the number of units at 34), extends the developercontribution window for the pedestrian bridge fee by five years, and adds a 15-month completion requirement after the first certificate of occupancy with a $500-per-day penalty for exceeding that date.

Staff senior planner Sean Lupano summarized the schedule and technical review history, noting the PDD was originally approved July 20, 2022, the site plan was approved Sept. 5, 2023, and the applicantfiled the first PDD amendment request June 16, 2025. Consultant Evan Ochevski described the proposed phasing: building turns begin on the southeast with Buildings 1 and 2 and progress northwest through multiple turns; infrastructure (paving, landscaping, sidewalks, irrigation and lighting) would be completed in matching "infrastructure turns," with Turn 1 required to deliver items such as the Crescent trail, median plantings, parking, and utilities.

Developer representatives Amanda Swore (Drinner Group) and Jason Houck (Morgan Group) told commissioners the first three buildings are nearly ready for occupancy, that the developer expects the first turn as soon as City Council approval (scheduled for the July 29 council meeting if the timeline holds), and that the turnover approach is an industry-standard sequencing that allows earlier delivery of housing. Houck said, "These buildings are essentially ready to be lived in." Swore added that staff had been "unbelievably responsive" during the review.

Outstanding technical items noted by staff and consultants as of the second review include: written approval from Lake Travis Fire and Rescue (the ESD) for the turnover/ingress-egress plan (to ensure fire access during phased construction), a notation and reference to a retaining wall on the infrastructure phasing plan, and clarification on median landscaping maintenance timing (concern that acceptance-based turnover could leave plantings vulnerable between installation and city acceptance). The applicant told the commission the applicant had provided a resubmittal the day before the meeting and expected staff to clear the outstanding comments; staff and the consultant described the remaining comments as minor.

The amendment also addresses temporary irrigation: the rainwater-harvesting tanks that will supply permanent irrigation are scheduled in Turn 5; staff and the applicant said temporary irrigation (including water tanks or building-level temporary systems) would serve earlier turns and be reviewed on a building-by-building basis by the city building official prior to a CO.

A focal point of commissioner discussion was a midblock pedestrian hybrid beacon and associated crosswalk on Bee Cave Parkway. The beacon was installed earlier at the developer's cost following prior direction; the proposed amendment would let the city either activate, leave in place but disabled, or remove the beacon at the city's expense. City engineering staff said the crosswalk location is roughly 860 feet from Highway 620 and expressed traffic-safety concerns: the city engineer (unnamed) said, "I think it's too close to 620... the distance that you have it right now seems to be pretty short from a corridor that's that busy," and warned that the beacon could create queuing and affect signal timing on the 620 corridor. The developer said leaving the structure in place but disabled would preserve the option to activate it later and save the city about $300,000 in infrastructure costs; the developer said they would remove detector or activation elements if the city preferred.

Commissioners debated who should bear the cost to remove or reactivate the beacon in the future. The commission ultimately recommended approval with specific conditions: staff must clear outstanding technical comments prior to the item going to council, and section 2E4 of the PDD language as proposed (which gives the city the option to remove or activate the pedestrian hybrid beacon at the city's expense) was retained. Commissioner Risca moved to recommend approval; Commissioner Vickery seconded. The motion passed unanimously (5-0). The commission's recommendation will go to City Council, with staff clearing the minor outstanding comments ahead of the July 29 council meeting if possible.

The amendment contains several measurable items commissioners recorded for the public record: the workforce housing component remains 34 units but the income threshold is lowered from 80% AMI to 75% AMI (staff and the applicant noted HUD does not publish a 75% AMI table and the amendment includes a method for that calculation), a $1,000-per-multifamily-unit contribution to a pedestrian bridge (reimbursement window extended by five years), a 15-month completion window after first CO with a $500/day liquidated-damage amount, and landscaping standards including a 75-foot buffer along Highway 620 and a 50-foot buffer along Bee Cave Parkway with specified total caliper inches per 100 feet.

The commission's unanimous recommendation advances the amendment to City Council; the developers told the commission they are prepared to begin final inspections and occupancy work soon after council approval.

Ending: The council hearing is scheduled for July 29; if the council follows the commission recommendation and staff clears outstanding technical comments, the developer expects the first turnover to occur in August and project completion under the proposed schedule by November 2026.