Council reviews early plan to redevelop Yearwood quarry and developer's request for higher MUD tax rate

Freehold Communities and city staff on Thursday gave Georgetown's City Council an early look at a plan to redevelop the 728‑acre Yearwood property, currently an active quarry, and a request to allow the project to proceed as an in‑city Municipal Utility District (MUD) with several exceptions to council policy.

Nick (staff), who led the presentation, said the goal was to get feedback early on the project's land plan and where it may deviate from the city's MUD policy. He told the council the site includes spring‑fed quarry lakes, 25‑ to 30‑foot quarry walls and a future Northlands wastewater treatment plant within the property. Staff is proposing a broader comprehensive plan amendment for the area rather than piecemeal changes for single parcels.

Matt Matthews of Freehold Communities outlined the concept plan and financing constraints tied to redeveloping a quarry. He noted development will require substantial remedial grading and drainage work: "We've probably got anywhere in the neighborhood of $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 of remedial grading and drainage associated with the development of the quarry area bottoms," Matthews said, and described plans to locate initial amenities around a spring‑fed quarry lake.

The developer and staff described multiple requests to deviate from city development standards because quarry topography limits typical street and lot layouts: variances have been requested for minimum lot sizes, roadway cross sections, setbacks and tree mitigation. On policy waivers, staff said the application asks for a maximum MUD tax rate of up to 75¢ per $100 valuation within the MUD (city policy currently sets a 55¢ maximum for in‑city MUDs) and a 15‑year bond issuance period (policy 10 years), with a 25‑year maximum bond maturity consistent with policy.

Council members probed the financial rationale for the higher tax rate and longer issuance period, asking whether the complexity of quarry redevelopment (bridges, drainage, off‑site utilities) justified the requests. Councilmember Ben asked directly about the tax rate, saying, "That just seems excessive," and asked the developer to return with a clearer breakdown. Several council members signaled openness to exceptions if the city can verify the hardship and public improvements required to make the site workable.

Safety and access were recurring concerns. Council members asked how fire access and roadway connections (including potential connections at Silver Spur and Ronald Reagan Boulevard) would be provided given the quarry walls and large floodplain along Berry Creek. Staff noted the potential for multiple MUDs or phasing as tools to limit risk and exposure for early residents, and said they would investigate alternative phasing and infrastructure approaches before the next workshop.

Public comment from Michael Spano of the Coalition for the Responsible Environmental Aggregate Mining (CREAM) urged the council to consider impacts from nearby concrete batch plants and to check TCEQ permit buffer distances; Spano said some batch plant facilities sit close enough to likely home sites to raise concerns about dust and noise.

What happens next: staff asked for initial feedback and plans to return within roughly two months with additional information, including more detailed financing, traffic and fire‑safety analysis, alternative phasing approaches and responses to the public health/permitting questions raised by residents. No formal vote or MUD consent was taken at the workshop.