Council members have concerns
A developer is seeking approval to add 521 housing units to the Woodside Municipal Utility District near Sun City, a proposal that would expand the planned community to nearly 1,700 homes, increase the amount of age-restricted housing in the area, and has drawn skepticism from some Georgetown City Council members.
Already-in-development, Woodside MUD is a MK Madison, LP project that includes 1,169 units, 500 of which are age-restricted, similar to Sun City. City council previously approved the project, and about 100 lots are now in development near Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
Now, MK Madison has requested that a 162.5-acre tract in Georgetown’s extraterritorial jurisdiction be added to the plans. The new land — at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Highway 195 — would support additional age-restricted units, bringing the total project to just under 1,700 units.
“We are planning to partner with Pulte again to do a Sun City Del Webb product on the 162 acres. We’ve been working with the city on the term sheet,” Amy Payne, with the developer, told Georgetown City Council during its workshop on May 26.
Age-restricted product
Age-restricted housing sales are “much more aggressive” in comparison to traditional homes, Ms. Payne said, which is why MK Madison wants to add more to its project.
Georgetown MUD policies put a 10 percent cap on age-restricted housing for a single project. This project would exceed that cap; however, because it is attached to Sun City, the cap may not apply, according to Cresta Lyons, special districts program manager for the city.
During the workshop, some council members spoke against the proposal. “I don’t really understand why we are continuing to go outside that [MUD] policy,” Council Member Amanda Parr said. “I would prefer us to stay within our policy as much as possible.”
Adding more age-restricted housing isn’t in line with the city’s 2030 goal of having accessible, diverse housing options for all ages, Council Member Jake French said.
“I understand that this particular development is attached to Sun City, which is an age-restricted community,” he said. “I still don’t think it’s in the best interests of the larger community fiscally or from a housing accessibility perspective.”
Council Member Ron Garland, who lives in Sun City and represents part of the subdivision, was in favor of the proposed project.
“I don’t really have any opposition to the age-restriction part of this opportunity that we have, because those are the folks who are buying,” he said. “That’s where the market is."
City staff will continue working with the developer and return at a later date with changes based on council’s feedback.