A 112-acre neighborhood planned just outside Georgetown's city limits cleared its first council vote, and the final one is already on the calendar. City Council gave first-reading approval, 4-2, to a municipal utility district agreement for Serenity Ranch, a mixed-use project south of CR 150 and east of I-35 in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (via Community Impact).
The vote came after a motion to deny the agreement failed. Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery walked council through the proposal at the Oct. 27 meeting.
The plan calls for about 730 homes, built out over several phases: 300 multifamily units, 271 single-family lots and 160 townhomes. Roughly 30,000 square feet of commercial space rounds it out.
The city's posted list of ordinances for the Nov. 10 council meeting puts the consent agreement up for second reading. That notice names the applicant as CR 150 QOZB, LP, and describes the site as about 112.21 acres roughly a mile east of IH-35, between County Road 150 and Grove Lane.
Who's behind it? San Antonio-based Athena Domain lists a Serenity Ranch project in Georgetown on its website, describing a site about a mile east of I-35 along Dry Berry Creek with townhomes, single-family homes, multifamily housing and future neighborhood commercial space for uses like preschools, medical offices and local retail. The company says the project is in the design phase. City notices don't name Athena Domain, and Hello Contractor couldn't confirm from public records how the firm relates to the LP on the agreement.
Here's what the developer has put on the table, according to Woolery's presentation as reported by Community Impact:
Parks and amenities: 15.4 acres of parkland, a 2.2-acre amenity complex with a pool and multisports court, and 10-foot multiuse trails linking open spaces, including a sunset garden.
Roads: improvements at the CR 150 and Petty Lane intersection, widening of CR 150, construction of Petty Lane as the neighborhood's main two-lane collector, and right-of-way dedication plus construction of half of a future six-lane Petty Lane.
Utilities: water from Jonah Water. The developer would build wastewater lines tying into the Dry Berry Creek Interceptor, and the city would then take over wastewater service.
The money side runs through the MUD. The district's tax rate would be capped at $0.95 per $100 of assessed value, and Woolery projected $32.6 million in bond debt over full build-out. That debt is repaid by the district's future property owners, not the city.
Not everyone on the dais was sold. District 6 Council Member Jake French questioned whether the road package clears the city's MUD guideline that a district deliver an "extraordinary public benefit," pointing to ETJ disannexations nearby. District 3 Council Member Ben Butler objected to the tax rate, saying his main concern is "the amount that we're going to be charging people." Community Impact's report doesn't say which two members voted no.
If the agreement passes on Nov. 10, city consent is only one step. Under Texas law, the district itself still has to be formally created through the state before it can issue bonds and start paying for infrastructure.
Why it matters for Contractors
This is a production-builder project, but 700-plus units in phases means years of trade work, and a lot of it starts in the dirt. Widening CR 150, building out Petty Lane and running sewer lines to the Dry Berry Creek interceptor are civil packages that typically go out ahead of vertical construction, and MUD bonds are what ultimately reimburse the developer for it.
For small shops, the realistic openings are as subs: framing, concrete, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, fencing, landscaping and amenity-center work once lots come online. The project is still in design, so there's no bid list yet. Watch the Nov. 10 agenda, then keep an eye on plat filings for Serenity Ranch to see who lands the general and site contracts. Those are the people to get in front of.