The Lakeway Zoning and Planning Committee voted 4‑3 on Jan. 8 to recommend rezoning about 13.366 acres at 15115 Coalmeier Drive from agricultural and R‑6 single‑family residential to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that would allow a maximum of 82 single‑family lots and a base R‑3 zoning standard.

The proposal, presented by Spencer Huck of Onyx Residential, would reduce a prior concept from about 130 lots to 82, yielding a density under seven units per acre. Huck said the project now averages about 1,800 square feet per house and an average lot size of roughly 4,500 square feet; the largest lot would be about 10,300 square feet. Huck also said the developer would pay a parkland fee in lieu of dedication of $4,500 per lot — about $369,000 for the project — and build an amenity/open space area of about 1.06 acres.

The project team emphasized stormwater controls and wastewater access. Jerry (engineering consultant) described a rain‑garden style detention system and said the design would ‘‘over detain’’ runoff, capture regional flows and release water more slowly. As the engineer summarized on the record: "If I impound 4 feet, I can control a 100,000 cubic feet of stormwater runoff that we can release slowly." The team also said it had confirmed a wastewater routing strategy that would tie into existing lines and the Bellagio lift station with approvals through WCID 17, and that the development depends on obtaining those wastewater approvals and any required street‑cut permits from Travis County.

Committee members and public commenters questioned density, tree protection and traffic. Two residents who live near the site said the parcel’s surrounding lots are substantially larger and urged more study. Tom Wright, a nearby resident, said the community was not opposed but asked the committee to ‘‘pick through this with a fine tooth comb’’ and raised concerns about traffic counts and school capacity. Mike Colvar, who said he lives 75 feet from the property in Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, asked the committee to consider the character of adjacent lots and warned the parcel’s 13 acres would not read the same as neighboring large‑acreage lots.

Supporters, including several commissioners, pointed to changes made since an October concept plan and described the revised layout as more responsive to the site and the city’s comprehensive plan. The developer said the plan adds cul‑de‑sacs, widens many frontages to 35–50 feet, increases separation between buildings to 10 feet, sets front garage setbacks at 18 feet to allow two vehicles on driveways, and will follow the city’s landscape and tree ordinances during site plan review. The developer also said the homeowners’ association would be responsible for pond maintenance and that the project team had met with Lake Travis ISD representatives.

The committee motion to approve the rezoning "as presented" passed 4‑3 and will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration at its Jan. 21 meeting. The approval is a recommendation; the rezoning and any site‑level permits remain contingent on subsequent approvals, including WCID 17 wastewater plan acceptance and final site and infrastructure reviews.

The project record includes developer renderings, an arborist report submitted with the PUD materials, traffic and stormwater reports, and staff’s PUD comparison chart. Additional details — such as final landscape plans, exact minimum lot dimension text, and final elevations — will be addressed in site plan and subdivision reviews and are not fully specified in the committee hearing.