The development expansion from San Antonio into Boerne appears to be eminent, which local officials have warned of and planned for, and it’s continuing with proposed plans for a nearly 230-unit “horizon tal apartment” at 6 Old Fredericksburg Road.
Boerne city staff hosted a meeting between developers of Parchaus and about 60 Boerne residents last week where plans to develop the 23-acre lot were outlined, showing a series of attached and detached units totaling about nine units per acre. The proposed project sits just east of the Geneva School of Boerne, sharing a property line.
The proposed neighborhood would be developed by a private real estate and investment firm, Provident Realty Advisors, which has developed about 14,000 multifamily units across Texas and other states, information stated. The development presents a unique system which city staff now is looking at creating a special zoning for as single-plat, multihome developments grow in popularity across the state.
The developers said the project is geared toward double-income millennial families, retirees, smaller families and young professionals who are either priced out of home ownership – identifying down payments, home insurance and property taxes as barriers to entry – or those who wish to have the space of a home without the upkeep or liability.
Rent will start with a roughly 700-square-foot one-bedroom expected to cost between $1,500 and $1,700 a month.
During the meeting, residents expressed concerns about stormwater runoff from other developments nearby – notably the large Southglen subdivision across the street which was cited by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for improper storm drainage in 2018 – along with traffic and environmental concerns.
In response to concerns about drainage, the developers noted the site plan shows about 50 percent impervious cover and several stormwater detention ponds to ensure runoff doesn’t impact neighboring properties.
Laura Haning, Boerne’s planning and community development director, addressed traffic concerns, saying the developer would be required to improve any surrounding roads to meet the increased demand caused by the project within the proportionality bounds of state law.
After some pushback on the density of the project, a representative of the developer said it wouldn’t be financially feasible to develop the property into half-acre lots.
“I mean this small tract here, if you divided it into half-acre tracts, it wouldn’t be feasible,” the representative said. “You wouldn’t be able to deliver lots to a builder that would be even remotely affordable. They would actually just laugh you off.”
The development sits in the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, meaning the city may not zone the property until there is an application to be annexed by the city. The developer said this meant a much more precarious or environmentally impactful development could’ve been slated for the property.
The proposed development comes on the heels of several local officials predicting the large Lemon Creek development along Interstate 10 hitting the Hill Country would foster more development around it.
The Lemon Creek Development master plan shows the construction of between 600 and 700 residential units, split between garden multifamily lots, apartments and townhomes; a 120-room hotel; at least three parking garages; about 471,000 square feet of office space across four large-scale buildings and nine smaller buildings clustered together; several restaurants; and a new H-E-B. In all, there is expected to be roughly 850,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space across the development.
The developers said the project is geared toward double-income millennial families, retirees, smaller families and young professionals who are either priced out of home ownership or those who wish to have the space of a home without the upkeep or liability.
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