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Council approves Oak Ridge development agreement; developer pledges amenities, PID revenue and rental limits
Summary
City Council approved a development agreement with Old Prospect Partners/Tri Pointe Homes for the 808-acre Oak Ridge master-planned project on Anna’s west side. The agreement requires public infrastructure, two amenity centers, school‑site coordination and limits on institutional investor purchases; council and neighbors sought clarity on land use,
Anna — The City of Anna voted unanimously to approve a development agreement with Old Prospect Partners (OPP) and Tri Pointe Homes for the Oak Ridge master-planned development on the city’s west side.
Assistant city staffer Bernie Parker described the project as an 808-acre, mixed‑use master plan that will be annexed into the city if the development agreement is adopted. Parker said the developer has agreed to build required public infrastructure, including streets, lighting, drainage, parks and two amenity centers; the first amenity center must be completed by the time the 250th single‑family permit is issued. The agreement also includes provisions for water and wastewater improvements and a school-site coordination process with the district.
Why it matters: the project would add a large number of single‑family lots and public infrastructure to the western portion of the city and help secure municipal control rather than creation of a municipal utility district (MUD) for the area. Parker estimated more than 3,000 single‑family units over time and said the development will generate PID (Public Improvement District) funds; staff’s financial analysis projects PID‑related receipts in the multimillion‑dollar range.
Neighbors and area residents spoke during a neighbor-comment period and a public presentation. Terrell Culbertson, who lives near County Road 289, asked the council to require the developer to align the plan with the city’s 2050 comprehensive land-use plan, pointing to proposed townhome and higher‑density lot types in locations the comp plan designates for lower-density suburban living. “If you do approve it… put those conditions on it to bring that plan back into agreement and compliance with the 2050 master land-use plan,” Culbertson told the council.
Betty Sharp told the council she had concerns about prior developments she believed showed lower standards, but said Tri Pointe’s representatives clarified that some nearby examples referenced to residents were not Tri Pointe projects and asked the council to proceed carefully and consider limiting density in sensitive locations.
Developer Bruce French, vice president of land for Tri Pointe Homes, said Tri Pointe expects the average sales price to be “between upper 5 hundreds to, 850,000,” and described plans for trails, two amenity centers, natural features and a neighborhood commercial core. He told the council the project has been under contract for about 14 months and that the company plans to bring in other builders to complement Tri Pointe on certain parcels.
The development agreement contains a provision limiting sales to institutional investors: the developer agreed not to allow institutional buyers to purchase more than 5% of detached lots, a restriction the city has applied in prior agreements to limit concentrated investor ownership.
Council members asked for additional details on traffic at the 455/County Road intersection and suggested the developer consider roundabout or traffic-calming features to slow traffic near the commercial nodes; they also urged preservation of large trees and open space. The council and developer discussed coordinating a potential school site with the local school district; French said discussions have begun but a final school location had not been confirmed.
The council voted 7‑0 to approve the development agreement and the annexation process described in the agreement.
What’s next: the agreement contemplates phased development with additional final plats and construction plans required for each phase. Council members asked staff and the developer for follow‑up on traffic calming, tree preservation and the comp-plan alignment concerns raised by neighbors.
For background: Oak Ridge has been a recurring project for the city since about 2014. Staff said prior developers tried to bring the property forward in earlier years; the current agreement is intended to ensure the project is built and annexed without creation of a MUD.
