The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously denied a developer request to waive parts of the city’s subdivision process so a wastewater mainline could be installed before an approved preliminary plan or final plat.

Dr. Yasmin Turk, Planning Manager for the City of Pflugerville, told commissioners that under Section 15.3 of the Unified Development Code the city requires an approved preliminary plan and final plat before installation of proposed wastewater infrastructure and that the waiver request did not qualify under the UDC’s exemption provisions. "Therefore, staff does not support the granting of a subdivision waiver," Dr. Turk said.

Blake Reed, representing the landowner and developer, said the parcel comprises roughly 300 acres and argued that the developer wants to build sewer to the north end to attract restaurants and retail. "We're trying to bring sewer to the northern end of the property," Reed said, adding that engineers had prepared plans and that preliminary plats often expire, which he said discourages tenants from waiting through a long platting process.

Commissioners questioned whether engineers can properly size sewer lines without known land uses and raised concerns that installing a wastewater line early could lock in street alignments and curb cuts that might not match future planning. Staff and commissioners noted traffic-impact analysis, topography and future street locations were not sufficiently settled and that building a permanent sewer alignment before knowing road alignments could be costly or disruptive later.

Several commissioners and staff suggested the underlying problem — development timing and cost pressures — might be better addressed by reviewing the Unified Development Code to create faster, predictable processes rather than granting ad hoc waivers. After discussion, a motion to deny the waiver aligned with the city recommendation; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.