Council approves Spanish Oaks PDD amendment with traffic conditions and higher parking ratio for Parcel E

The Bee Cave City Council on Feb. 24 approved Ordinance 598, an amendment to the Village at Spanish Oaks planned development district, imposing eight staff conditions addressing outstanding traffic impact analysis (TIA) issues and adding a council amendment that increases Parcel E’s parking ratio to 1.5 spaces per unit.

Senior Planner Sean Lupano summarized the proposal and the staff-identified changes to the PDD: adjustments to senior-living allocations (a reduction to 225 units overall), shifts in buildable area for Parcels A and B, an increase in multifamily allocation on Parcel E, and a proposed 75-foot height band that would extend roughly 50 feet closer to Highway 71 than the 2020 approval. Lupano told the council the submitted TIA “as is is not approved” and listed eight conditions, including required coordination with TxDOT, benchmarks tying mitigation to specific plan approvals, and a prohibition on issuing site permits or PID funding until the TIA is approved by the city. He said the applicant paid an outstanding project balance of $17,574, clearing condition 6.

Mallory of Friese & Nichols described updates to the TIA: new 2026 traffic counts, modeling to a 2033 build-out, added auto-turn and pedestrian-safety analyses, and an internal roadway capacity review. Mallory said the update still shows substantial mitigation needs—especially queuing risks on Highway 71 and several internal intersections—and that staff and TxDOT must resolve outstanding technical comments before final TIA approval.

Applicant Jack Crevelin reviewed the project’s planning history and said the team has previously built intersection improvements and worked with TxDOT; he asked the council to consider a conditional approval so internal roads and on-site work could proceed while the TIA and TxDOT coordination continue. Residents who spoke during the public hearing expressed both support and concern: Rick Skadden urged council to let staff finish TIA work before approving the amendment, while homeowners from Spanish Oaks and nearby neighborhoods said a protected left-turn and signal activation at the new intersection are safety priorities.

Council discussion centered on whether to approve conditionally while staff continues technical reviews. Councilmember (speaker 14) offered an amendment to raise Parcel E’s parking ratio from 1.4 to the Unified Development Code’s 1.5 standard; the amendment was accepted and added to the motion. Councilmember (speaker 10) seconded the motion. The council then voted unanimously in favor of Ordinance 598 with the eight staff conditions and the 1.5 parking-ratio amendment.

The council’s approval allows the project to proceed under the amended PDD, subject to the staff conditions. Among the key constraints, Lupano noted, are (1) no city-issued site plans, permits or authorizations to construct until the TIA is approved by Bee Cave, and (2) no city PID funding authorization until that approval is in place. Staff and the applicant will continue coordination with TxDOT to resolve outstanding TIA items and to specify which development triggers required mitigation work. The applicant estimated internal roads could be connected by late year and said TxDOT has indicated signal activation can occur when road tie-ins are completed.

The council’s action was a vote to amend the PDD and set binding conditions; it did not itself authorize construction permits until staff confirms the TIA and associated technical items are resolved.