Pratt Homes previews 'Bay Haven' annexation and 90‑unit mixed housing proposal at Bayport hearing

A developer previewed a proposed annexation and mixed‑housing project to Bayport’s City Council on Oct. 7, presenting a concept plan that would add roughly 27.7 acres to the city and about 90 dwelling units.

Len Pratt of Pratt Homes told the council the proposal—branded “Bay Haven”—would annex 26.2 acres owned by the Anderson family and 1.5 acres owned by James and Christine Otto and create 38 single‑family “Villa” lots plus a 52‑unit senior cooperative, for a total of about 90 units. “Bay Haven is our name at Bayport,” Pratt said during his presentation. He said the development would use a planned‑unit development (PUD) district to apply site‑specific standards and protect perimeter slopes and trees.

The planner working with city staff, Dan Le of The Planning Company, described the procedural path: the project will need a comprehensive‑plan amendment, annexation ordinance, rezoning and preliminary and final plats. Le noted the property is south of Fifth Avenue North and east of Stage Coach Trail in Baytown Township and adjacent to a planned ISD 834 elementary school site and Barker’s Alps Park. “This is a property located south of Fifth Avenue and east of Stage Coach Trail that’s currently in Baytown Township,” Le said, summarizing the location and review steps.

Susan Far, vice president of business development for Ebenezer (part of Fairview Health Systems), explained the senior cooperative model proposed for the multifamily building. Far described the cooperative as an age‑62+ ownership model in which a single loan secures the building and residents buy shares, reducing individual upfront cost compared with private purchase. “A co‑op is … the insured model,” Far said, describing financing and the community amenities she said often accompany cooperatives.

Council members and staff focused questions on boundaries, utilities and timing rather than design approval. Several council members asked whether adjoining parcel owners would be included in an annexation package; Pratt said outreach had been made and that owners including a parcel with a cell tower (represented by Frank Thompson) had signaled interest in joining. Staff and council emphasized coordinating the annexation with a sewer extension being planned for the adjacent school site because sewer timing can affect engineering and cost. City staff said formal applications and engineered plans will be required before any entitlement decisions.

Public comment included brief support from neighbors and a written objection from residents Sheila and William Kleene, who said in an emailed letter they objected to the annexation and the proposed housing because of traffic concerns and argued the proposal had taken land they described as belonging to Baytown; the city clarified the project is owner‑driven and that an orderly annexation designation for parts of the area existed previously. In the hearing, Frank Thompson, a nearby property owner who leases a cell tower site, said he supported the development.

Planning Commission members who attended (Carl Bliss and Colleen Sigfreed) thanked the team and urged sensitivity to tree loss and the site’s natural character. Council members said they were generally supportive of the concept but repeatedly stressed that the hearing was for concept review only and did not grant entitlements. Several members said they would not object to the developer filing a petition for annexation but requested that annexation, preliminary engineering and platting proceed together so multifamily components are not inadvertently excluded later in the process.

The council took no formal action on the concept plan at the meeting. City staff recommended the developer proceed to full engineering and to file the formal applications (comprehensive‑plan amendment, rezoning and plats) that will return to the Planning Commission and, later, the council with public hearings and decision points.

What’s next: Pratt Homes and partners indicated they will submit an annexation petition and begin engineering work. The council asked staff to coordinate sewer and plat timing with the school site so the projects can move forward in a coordinated way.