SEPHCP committee approves Lennar Homes enrollment for 16-acre Guadalupe Ranch site amid public objections

The SEPHCP Coordinating Committee voted to approve an enrollment request from Lennar Homes of Texas for about 16 acres at the Guadalupe Ranch, moving the parcel into the Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan (SEPHCP) program after staff recommended approval.

Valerie Rodriguez, the city’s senior planner for policy administration, told the committee staff had reviewed the application and determined it was eligible for enrollment under the SEPHCP. She said the application area contains 13.98 acres of golden-cheeked warbler (GCW) habitat within the project area, 95.74 acres within 300 feet, and that the project requires 69 GCW conservation credits. Rodriguez said mitigation and administration fees total $612,458 and must be paid prior to completing enrollment.

Brunei Spangler, representing Lennar Homes, summarized the project and its prior enrollment areas within the master-planned Guadalupe Ranch. Spangler said city and county approvals and permits for earlier phases were in place and that the 16-acre enrollment would allow planned amenities — including an amenity center, pool, trails and associated open space — to proceed.

Multiple public commenters urged the committee to deny the enrollment or to require more scrutiny. Randy Newman, who said he submitted a list of questions about the Wahoo Lodi Ranch mitigation plan, argued the applications for phase 1 and phase 2 may be procedurally defective and listed several alleged problems, including apparent discrepancies in recorded property ownership, possible lack of written owner authorization for applications, the presence of caves or karst features that he said were not accounted for, and biological surveys he described as inconsistent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protocols. "If Lennar submitted phase 1 or phase 2 without written authorization from the owners, then the application is procedurally defective," Newman said, and asked that the administrative record contain answers before any vote.

Other speakers raised conservation and water concerns. Stewart Birnbaum told the committee he records golden-cheeked warblers near Madler Park and asked the committee to "reject this current request for additional habitat taking." A speaker who identified herself as Diana said the Waihulote Ranch property lies in a "highly sensitive watershed" that supplies drinking water to "2,500,000 people," and argued that karst geology increases the risk of rapid groundwater contamination.

The committee asked SEPHCP biologist Jennifer Blair to summarize her review of the application and the supporting surveys. Blair said the applicant provided presence/absence surveys and that those materials "were actually beyond what we require for an application to get approved." She added that USFWS presence/absence surveys were performed across the property, that no caves or occupied features were known to occur within the proposed enrollment areas, and that owner signatures and pre-participation agreements had been recorded.

After the brief questions and answers, a motion to approve the enrollment application was moved and seconded. During roll call, Committee member Garcia, Committee member Witten, Committee member Semper and Chair Sparrow each recorded "yes" votes and the motion passed.

The committee’s action approves enrollment under the SEPHCP subject to the usual conditions and payment of mitigation and administration fees. The committee then moved on to approve the minutes from its May 12 meeting and adjourned at 03:32.