Consultants present near‑final GLO‑funded comprehensive plan; water study and Junction mixed‑use center draw most questions

Langford Community Management Services presented the near‑final draft of Wimberley's comprehensive plan on Dec. 11, saying the General Land Office awarded the project a $300,000 grant to support resilience planning and that the consultants are about 85% complete on the document.

The consultants said the plan contains nine chapters, including a community profile, land‑use and development guidance, a thoroughfare plan and a separate water study. "When you make decisions on zoning matters and land use matters, the comprehensive plan really needs to be able to support those decisions," Nathan (staff) told the commission as he introduced the consultant team. Jerry Conrado of Langford, who said he handles grant administration and community engagement for the project, and Tim Jenkins, the consultants' chief planner, led the presentation and answered commissioner questions.

Consultants highlighted three near‑term priorities: addressing water infrastructure through a detailed water study, protecting Wimberley's cultural heritage and tourism economy, and refining housing strategies that could include cottage‑style or small multi‑family options aimed at younger adults. Jenkins said demographic work projects most age cohorts as stable but flagged Generation Z as more likely to leave due to housing affordability. "We see that factor coming from housing affordability," Jenkins said.

A major theme of commissioners' questioning was the Junction area, where consultants recommended treating a small mixed‑use node as a strategic focus. Jenkins described design options—cottage housing, pervious cover requirements, facade controls and limits on residential percentage in mixed‑use zones—and urged the city to adopt design standards so it "reacts, not reacts to" developer proposals. Commissioners repeatedly asked what the city could regulate in the ETJ; consultants and staff clarified that the city can exercise subdivision control in the ETJ but not zoning, and that annexation requires the ability to provide service within two years.

Water emerged as the most contentious implementation item. Multiple commissioners noted the draft water study is separate and extensive, and several said the city does not control wholesale water distribution. One commissioner stated, "The city provides no water service. Not one drop," and asked consultants to remove instances that appear to imply the city has water‑provider authority. Jenkins and Conrado said the water team will provide a revised draft for public review and that specialists (named in the meeting as David Baker and Nick Dornack) led the water analysis.

Consultants said a revised, more polished plan will be posted to the project portal the following Monday, the team will brief city council at a scheduled update next Thursday, and the consultants will hold a public showcase town hall with large maps on Jan. 29. They also noted the General Land Office Resilient Communities program has a Dec. 31 deadline for the current cycle and said they hope state/federal partners may shift some funds to implementation grants.

What happens next: the consultants will post an updated draft and outreach materials on the portal, brief the council, and present the plan again to the commission before recommending final adoption. The Jan. 29 town‑hall is intended to gather station‑based input on priorities and implementation sequencing.

"We want to protect who you are, protect what you have, embrace who you are, and guide the growth if it comes," Conrado said to the commission.