Lakeside Estates, a proposed Municipal Utility District located in the western cliffs of Lake Georgetown near Santa Rita Ranch, aims to bring 1,300 units and a private hotel and resort to the edge of the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Georgetown City Council provided initial feedback to the developers – Wyoming-based Zovest Capital LLC – in June 2023, with concerns about water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as the hotel’s impact to the area.
The proposal returned during the October 8 city council workshop, where Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery and those involved with the buildout of the development sought further feedback from council as the development moves forward.
“I’ve been looking forward to this coming back to workshop for some time. I’m really excited about this proposed plat,” Council Member Shawn Hood said Tuesday. “[The developers] have really hit some high buttons for me from the way they’ve arranged their plat.”
The 722-acre development boasts lot sizes ranging from 45 feet to 70 and 80 feet. The distribution of the lot sizes are:
- 45-foot lots will make up a maximum of 25 percent of units
- 50-foot lots will make up a maximum of 25 percent of units
- 60-foot lots will make up at least 20 percent of units
- 70/80-foot lots will make up at least 20 percent of units
- Half acre and acre lots will make up at least 10 percent of units
“Of all our MUDs [council has] seen, this is the broadest diversity of lot sizes of any MUD that [city staff] has brought forward,” Mr. Woolery said.
Water and Wastewater
A significant portion of the council’s discussion focused on water and wastewater infrastructure, as Lakeside Estates falls within the city’s water and wastewater district. Initially, there were plans for a temporary package plant to manage water and wastewater. Last summer, council directed the developers to make the package plant permanent.
Mr. Woolery informed the council the developer agreed with this approach and incorporated the permanent plant into the development plans.
“There is a waterline connection near Cimarron Hills that would be a permanent and exclusive easement,” Mr. Woolery said. “If you think through the major waterline work we’re doing coming from the South Lake [Water Treatment] Plant, it actually runs through this property. So they will have a new portion of our waterline running west through the property so they’ll be able to get service.”
Mr. Woolery added there will be a specific council workshop in the future about the water service agreements and water reservation for the MUD.
“[Water reservation] will be a new component of a MUD agreement,” he said. “That’s something that’s in the works and we’ve kind of laid out from the beginning that would be a component of this agreement.”
For wastewater infrastructure, Mr. Woolery called the plan the “most unique agreement” the city has had with a development. Through a permanent no-discharge plant maintained by the HOA or District, the city would not have to take on the development’s wastewater.
Additionally, wastewater would not discharge into Lake Georgetown, and there would be no impact fee paid to the city.
“It would be extremely clear that at no point in time will this neighborhood, this development ever tie into the city’s [wastewater] system,” Mr. Woolery said. “So, if 30 years from now, they’re struggling, that’s something that they’ve got to figure out, there’s no option to ever tie into the city’s [wastewater] system.”
Improving street connections
Roadway improvements associated with the area have been developed in coordination with Williamson County.
The developer will take Cross Creek Road and turn it into a four-lane road with a median between two lanes in each direction. This construction will be timed with the phasing of the development.
Ben Green, speaking for design and engineering consultant Kimley-Horn, said Cross Creek Road will be connecting to Morning Star Boulevard and eventually Tower Road – both near Santa Rita Ranch. These would connect the Ragsdale Ranch development to Lakeside Estates, creating “complete circulation in this western portion of Lake Georgetown.”