Angleton to grow by thousands of rooftops

The Facts
By RAVEN WUEBKER raven.wuebker@thefacts.com
Oct 4, 2022

ANGLETON — About 2,000 residential lots will soon occupy more than 870 acres adjacent to city limits after the city council approved the development.

Developers presented a preliminary plat of the Ashland project to the council Sept. 27, laying out the development between FM 521 and Highway 288 north of FM 523.

Most of the land is in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, although a small portion is in the county.

“It’s a planned community,” City Manager Chris Whittaker said. “I think from the developer’s estimates, it all depends if it builds out fully, and with current value rates, it would help the city. All those things in the municipal utility district would become the city’s stuff, increasing public works and the cost. So that would help offset the cost of additional employees and maintenance for when it becomes city property.”

The developer is projecting between $800 million to $1 billion in value added to the tax base, Whittaker said.

“Added sales tax benefits to our city and allows us to continue improving and restoring our infrastructure,” Councilwoman Christiene Daniels said. “The new homes offer opportunities for those here to move into a master-planned community and invite new families. This will highlight our area to companies to invest in our city and bring in larger grocery stores or other options.”

Since the development is in the ETJ and is a MUD, the city and developers will have to agree on a future annexation timeline.

As a master-planned community, the development will include more than the 2,250 home lots. Ashland will have 230 acres of park, trails, open space and drainage with a budget of $13 million for them, according to the developers.

There will be a junior Olympic pool, resort pool, lazy river, playground, solar-based fiber speed Wi-Fi and solar lighting throughout the community.

“Their master-planned development would give commercial space along 288, nature trails, pocket parks and a resident-use pool, along with an elementary and middle school site for AISD,” Daniels said. “That’s a great location for commercial, and our district needs land for expansion.”

Price points for the homes will range from $275,000 to $525,000, according to the presentation to council.

“The city is the residents that will potentially shop, eat and buy stuff in our community, which is potential for sales tax revenue,” Mayor Jason Perez said. “If everything materializes and we work through everything, there is a potential for them to be annexed into the city in a certain timeframe. It’s new to our community and us, but by looking at it from a higher overview, there seems to be positive potential for the city.”

The development for the properties will begin at some point next year, Whittaker said.

“I know there are a lot of moving pieces. We’re happy they’re dedicating for future fire and EMS and a water tower to help out city infrastructure,” Whittaker said. “I think it’s going to take a couple of years for the homes to fill up.”

Once they do that, they have to put in the infrastructure for the water and roads, so that’s going to take a little while, he said.

The city expects construction to begin two to three years after the agreement is signed, he said.

Perez, Daniels, and Councilmen Cecil Booth and Mark Gongora voted for the development, while Councilmen John Wright and Travis Townsend were against it.

“I voted against the Ashland project due to the density and concern I have with MUD developments so close to the city,” Wright said. “This one development is 2,200 homes that will strain city services, such as roads, police, fire and EMS. This is being built in the city ETJ while not meeting the county standards or the city’s desire to stay above 60-foot lot width for drainage purposes.”

With lot sizes of 50, 60 and 70 feet, anything under 60 would not work for the city and is not in the city development plans, Wright said.

Although Daniels is in favor of the development, she also disagrees with having lots under 60 feet. However, she believes the positives outweigh the negatives and hopes the housing market will show that, she said.

“I think every builder is coming to Angleton and doesn’t understand Angleton,” Wright said. “They want to put the same product on the ground that they put everywhere else. In Angleton, everything sells. All lot sizes, but we are being told smaller lots are the only thing the builders say is what is in demand.”

Wright believes Angleton will become oversaturated with housing development in the area.

“The only positive that I believe would come from this development would be as a catalyst for commercial development inside the city limits of Angleton,” he said.