Planning commission recommends SF‑2 zoning for 14‑acre Fellers tract, flags wastewater concerns for council

The Dripping Springs Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a zoning map amendment that would reclassify a 14‑acre portion of the Fellers Tract at 1300 Creek Road from agricultural/ETJ status to moderate‑density single‑family (SF‑2), contingent upon annexation by the City of Dripping Springs.

The applicant, Pat with Tri Pointe Homes, told the commission the project concept lays out 18 lots (each roughly 0.5–0.52 acres) with homes in the 3,000–4,400 square‑foot range. Pat said Tri Pointe has a reserved service agreement with the Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation for 18 drinking‑water LUEs and a wastewater reservation agreement that reserves 80 wastewater LUEs for the broader Fellers property, of which 18 are identified for the 14‑acre parcel. Pat also said the applicant has an easement agreement in escrow with an adjacent landowner to allow a wastewater easement across that property.

Senior Planner Sarah Barbrigos presented staff’s report and recommended approval. She told commissioners the site is shown for moderate‑density residential use on the city’s future land‑use map and that surrounding uses include PDD‑15 to the north and mixed single‑family and multifamily designations nearby. Staff noted that rezoning to SF‑2 would add landscape and tree‑planting requirements along Creek Road and Roger Hanks Parkway that do not apply while the property remains in the ETJ.

Several commissioners raised questions about utilities. Staff and the applicant confirmed the developer cannot connect to the city wastewater system until the planned wastewater treatment plant expansion and the West Interceptor are completed. Sarah explained the 80 wastewater LUEs were reserved under a prior agreement; 18 of those are allocated to this parcel but the ability to connect depends on the plant expansion and completion of the interceptor. The applicant said they are discussing temporary pump‑and‑haul arrangements and provided staff with technical materials; they emphasized the pump‑and‑haul plan would be limited in scale and is not identical to prior pump‑and‑haul proposals the commission has already reviewed.

During the public hearing, adjacent property owner Dave Shields said he had been told in conversations with the Fellers that future development would be limited to three‑quarter‑acre lots, and he objected to what he described as a change in expectations. The applicant and staff said conversations between private parties cannot be enforced by the commission and explained the practical differences between ETJ development rules (which can include different minimum lot sizes and septic requirements) and city zoning if annexed.

Commissioners debated whether to postpone action until all wastewater and utility service agreements were fully executed. City legal staff and planners advised that a straight zoning amendment generally cannot carry conditions tying approval to execution of an unrelated contract, but the commission can and did record its concerns and ask staff to ensure City Council is made aware of unresolved wastewater items.

The commission ultimately voted to recommend approval of the SF‑2 zoning to City Council. Sarah said the annexation and council action are scheduled for a council meeting on February 17, when council will consider annexation and the zoning request.

What happens next: Planning & Zoning’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for the annexation and zoning hearings. Council will consider the annexation first and then the zoning. Staff will provide the council record and the commission requested that staff highlight outstanding wastewater issues and the existence of the reserved wastewater LUEs and the applicant’s easement when council reviews the matter.

The commission also adopted a revised 2026 meeting calendar and heard a department update about several ongoing developments and the status of wastewater‑treatment planning.