Council directs staff to draft tri‑party agreement to allow temporary water for Gateway at Hutto development

Developers of the Gateway at Hutto (the Wolf Tract) asked the council to allow temporary water service from the city while Manville Water Works constructs a long‑distance transmission improvement. Seth Merrick, CEO of Grama Civil, described the proposed mixed‑use master plan and said the development needs interim service to move forward.

"Would the council be willing to consider temporary service for the tract for up to 400 LUEs until Manville's transmission system is installed, at which point the water service could be converted over?" Merrick asked. Council members expressed concern about the long‑term allocation of LUEs, the need to protect city capacity, and the importance of a binding agreement with Manville to guarantee the back‑end transition. Multiple councilors said any temporary service should come with contingencies and financial protections if Manville’s timelines slip or if city capacity is constrained.

After discussion, the council unanimously directed staff to draft a tri‑party agreement among the city, the developer and Manville for interim service not to exceed five years and 400 LUEs, and to return with contract language that defines obligations, construction responsibilities (developer to build the connecting waterline) and contingency remedies if the conversion to Manville service does not occur as expected.