NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — A housing boom in New Braunfels is growing bigger.
This week the New Braunfels City Council signed off on allowing infrastructure to support the Mayfair development.
More than 1,800 acres will be home to thousands of houses and three new schools along I-35 north of the Kohlenberg Road and Conrads Road exit.
The city of New Braunfels says this will be a massive economic boost to the area, but some people feel the construction is clashing with the quite feel of the city.
The I-35 corridor in New Braunfels is seeing many changes.
Wayne Rudolph has lived in the city for 20 years—and is in favor of the development, but with one reservation.
“The number of people that are going to be coming in. The problem is…if you don’t have Mayfair, you don’t have control over the development. With Mayfair and the agreement with city council, at least they have some control over parks, access, schools,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph says he’s concerned about the potential impact of property taxes to people currently living in the county.
“The big argument against it is the population explosion that the city is now undergoing,” Rudolph said.
6,000 homes, at least three new schools, several parks and retail space will make up Mayfair, developed by SouthStar Communities.
This week, the city approved a resolution to create Comal County Water Improvement District #3. The development is located outside New Braunfels' city limits.
“There’s a lot of infrastructure going in place that’s not there today, that’s needed for New Braunfels and that part of the corridor, not only utility infrastructure but roadway infrastructure,” Thad Rutherford, president and CEO of SouthStar Communities said.
Rutherford says this could create 2,000 jobs for the area in the construction and commercial industry.
SouthStar is working with New Braunfels Utilities for some large-scale offsite utility projects before housing construction can begin.
The New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce tells KENS 5 it projects a $2 billion economic impact over 15 years.
People like Rudolph worry that with more homes—it could mean a higher price to pay for property.
“They want to avoid telling people what’s going to happen to their tax bill,” Rudolph says.
Construction could start by the end of this year, with new homes expected to open by 2023.
For more information on the project, click here.