NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Another step towards a massive development in New Braunfels.
Tonight, the city council will hold a public hearing on the first phase of the Mayfair project expected to bring thousands of homes, new schools and commercial development along I-35.
The sound of a car whizzing by is what you mostly hear on FM 1101 in New Braunfels. Some of the land will be turned into a massive development, leaving residents concerned about the massive growth in this city.
“It’s not a matter of, 'let’s stop and not build anything.' It’s a matter of, 'look, lets slow down and let’s get caught up,'” Timothy Davis, an 18-year resident of the city said. Things like infrastructure, parks and police haven’t caught up with the population boom, he says.
“I don’t want to tell people don’t come here because it’s an amazing diverse community, but we have to do it responsibly,” Davis helped start a Facebook group called Citizens of New Braunfels for Responsible Growth.
The Mayfair development, a 2,000-acre development including schools, homes and commercial development will be built in segments along I-35 from Kohlenberg Road to Woods Path Drive.
Monday night—city council will review the first portion of the development.
“We carve out the 2,000 acres into smaller pieces and how the connectivity of the roads, the open space, the housing choices, how it all fits into the larger vision,” Thad Rutherford, CEO of developer Southstar Properties told KENS 5.
They estimate the economic impact to the region could be $2 to $3 billion over a 10 to 15 year period, with two-thousand permanent jobs created from the commercial development.
Commercial development will be along I-35, and various housing options could be available.
“Our goal is to have an affordable rental product at Mayfair, an affordable for sale product at Mayfair,” Rutherford said.
He says its hard to put a price tag on some of the housing available but estimates there will be homes ranging in value from $200,000 to $600,000, along with different versions of rental properties.
“We don’t want just a market-rate apartment but we want some duplexes, some townhomes, some different, creative approaches to housing that can maybe drive down some more attainable prices,” Rutherford added.
Rutherford says construction on the infrastructure for the development could start within the next few weeks.
The developer says there will be park and green space included for all New Braunfels residents to use, but Davis hopes some of the green space that flourishes in the Hill Country won’t be negatively affected by the development.
“New Braunfels has always been such a beautiful place and that’s what attracted people to New Braunfels. If you just start turning it into a concrete parking lot, that’s not people want,” Davis said.
Rutherford expects homes to be built and ready for sale by the middle of 2023.