Council pauses decision on Preserve at Mason Creek addendum after public concern over parkland reductions

City staff presented a proposed addendum to a cooperation agreement with the Housing Authority of Travis County for the Preserve at Mason Creek affordable-housing development that would, if approved, allow some elements of the project to proceed under prior standards rather than complying with recently updated parkland dedication requirements.

Staff said the original project started reviews in 2022 and 2023 and that some applications expired, which triggered questions about whether to require the updated ordinance or allow the project to continue under the rules in effect when it began. Under current standards staff said the developer would need to dedicate roughly 2.56 additional acres of parkland or pay a larger fee-in-lieu and increase recreation improvements by roughly $64,000; staff also said the project had discussed dedicating adjacent property as parkland but the applicant was not present at the meeting.

Resident Anita Chomnovich urged the council not to quietly erode city land standards, arguing parkland performs measurable environmental functions (stormwater absorption, heat mitigation, habitat) and that waiving standards would set a damaging precedent. "Land is not an interchangeable input," she said, adding that redesign is the mechanism by which projects align with current requirements.

Several council members said they were concerned about process and wanted more clarity; multiple members recommended tabling or taking no action to permit staff to gather details about what the applicant has actually dedicated and whether fee-in-lieu options are appropriate. The council ultimately took no action on the addendum at this meeting so staff could obtain the missing information and, if warranted, bring a revised item back to a future meeting.