PRESENTER: Presenter
Matt Greene, Principal Planner
Body
SUBJECT: Title
PZ26-0199 Public hearing and recommendation to City Council, requested by Thad Rutherford, President and CEO, Southstar at Mayfair Developer, LLC, regarding proposed amendments to the Mayfair Development and Design Control Document (DDCD).
Header
DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Community Planning
Body
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Outside City Limits
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Case #: PZ26-0199
Applicant/Owner: Southstar at Mayfair Developer, LLC
Thad Rutherford, President and CEO
651 Business IH 35
Suite 420
New Braunfels, TX 78131
Staff Contact: Matt Greene
(830) 221-4053 | mgreene@newbraunfels.gov
Mayfair is an approximately 1,880-acre mixed-use development located adjacent to the city limits within the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) in Comal County. The overall development is generally bounded by FM 1102 to the east, FM 1101 to the west, Woods Path and Watson Lane East to the north, and Kohlenberg Road to the south. It extends across both the east and west sides of IH-35 north of New Braunfels. Created as a Water Improvement District (WID) in accordance with state statute, Mayfair is governed by a Development Agreement between the City and Southstar at Mayfair, LLC, which was approved by City Council on June 28, 2021, and subsequently amended on May 6, 2024 (see Resource Link).
The Mayfair Development Agreement establishes design standards, development applications, review processes, and infrastructure improvements that are unique to the Mayfair development. In approving the agreement, City Council directed that these standards serve as a model for future amendments to the City's development standards and for future development within the city limits, while advancing the goals of the Comprehensive Plan.
The agreement also adopted the Mayfair Development and Design Control Document (DDCD), which serves as the primary governing document for design standards, development processes, and application requirements. All development activity within Mayfair is reviewed by the City for compliance with the DDCD (see Resource Link).
ISSUE:
Pursuant to Section 1.8 of the Mayfair Development and Design Control Document (DDCD), the master developer (applicant) may request amendments to the DDCD in accordance with the procedures and criteria established in the document. The applicant is requesting amendments to update administrative processes, revise Part G (Signage), and amend Part H (Definitions), along with several other minor modifications as outlined in the attached summary of proposed DDCD amendments. A redlined copy of the proposed amending DDCD is also attached for reference.
Amendments of the type being requested are considered optional rather than obligations established through the development agreement. As such, they require a public hearing before the Planning Commission, followed by a formal recommendation to the City Council. After the Planning Commission issues its recommendation, a second public hearing will be conducted by the City Council, at which time a final decision on the request will be made.
The proposed amendments to the DDCD and associated amendments to the Development Agreement are tentatively anticipated for consideration at the City Council meeting on August 24, 2026.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REFERENCE:
Mayfair’s proposed amendments to the DDCD would be consistent with the following actions from Envision New Braunfels:
• Action 1.2: Create plans for neighborhoods and transitional areas to maintain quality of life.
• Action 1.3: Encourage balanced and fiscally responsible land use patterns.
• Action 3.6: Proactively provide a regulatory environment that remains business and resident friendly.
Future Land Use Plan:
The subject property is located within the Oak Creek Subarea, near Future Employment, Civic, and Market Centers.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
☒Economic Mobility ☐Enhanced Connectivity ☐Community Identity
☐Organizational Excellence ☐Community Well-Being ☐N/A
• Objective: Incentivize mixed-use developments and redevelopments in targeted locations to create a built environment with integrated housing, commercial centers, and opportunities for improved connectivity.
• Objective: Support Confluence, the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Strategic Plan, by helping to ensure a community that supports the targeted industries and increases the diversity of job opportunities in the community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Certain tracts within the Mayfair development are subject to Limited Purpose Annexation in accordance with the Development Agreement for Comal County Water Improvement District (WID) No. 3. As a result, the City will receive a portion of the sales and use tax revenues generated from these properties.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the proposed amendments to the Mayfair DDCD, as the amendments are consistent with the overall purpose and intent of Mayfair, its Guiding Principles and Objectives, and align with the goals and policies of Envision New Braunfels and objectives of the City’s Strategic Plan.
Mailed notification as required by the development agreement for Comal County WID No. 3:
Public hearing notices were sent to 322 owners of property within the Mayfair development or within 200 feet of the request. As of the date this agenda memorandum was prepared, the City has received no responses.
RESOURCE LINKS:
Current Development Agreement for Comal County WID No. 3: <https://www.newbraunfels.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26101/Fully-Executed-Mayfair-Amended-Development-Agreement?bidId=>
Current Development & Design Control Document: https://www.newbraunfels.gov/3333/Mayfair#docaccess-8606fb51e4d5c89a30ab0820a4add26ef641bfee966d001d438350c44c997e8b <https://www.newbraunfels.gov/3333/Mayfair>