`PRESENTER: Presenter
Christopher J. Looney, AICP, Neighborhood and Community Planning Department Director
Applicant/Owner: Thad Rutherford, President & CEO Southstar at Mayfair Developer, LLC
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SUBJECT: Title
Public hearing and consideration of amendments to the Mayfair Master Framework Plan requested by Thad Rutherford of Southstar at Mayfair Developer, LLC.
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DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Community Planning
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Outside City Limits
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Case #: CS26-0231
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 includes design standards, applications, processes and improvements unique to this development. City Council direction on the unique standards of this development were to be a model for future code changes and development inside the city limits, and to implement Envision New Braunfels. It also adopted the Mayfair Master Framework Plan which established the broad framework for the development including the location of land uses, parks, schools, utility corridors, major roadways, activity nodes, project boundaries and other items shown on the Master Framework Plan.
ISSUE:
The applicant is proposing amendments to the Master Framework Plan that include revisions to the plan's level of detail and formatting, modifications to land use boundaries, and the incorporation of a recently added 1.7-acre tract within the WID.
The Master Framework Plan will continue to depict aggregated land use totals; however, the proposed amendments would place less emphasis on precise land use boundaries and parcel acreages, as these elements may slightly shift during the course of development and project refinement. The proposed format stays true to the framework plan’s principles of being an overarching guide, aligning more closely with the style and purpose of the Veramendi Master Framework Plan, emphasizing overall land use patterns rather than fixed parcel configurations. The amending plan will also utilize a primary commercial land use category and remove the subcategories, Flex Commercial and Neighborhood Commercial. Sub-categories of land uses and parcel acreages will be more refined, delivered, and tracked in the succeeding Sector Plan and Plat approval processes.
Similarly, the existing parkland categories - Community Parks and Greenbelt/Conservation Parks/Trails - would be consolidated into a single land use category: Parkland. This change simplifies the Master Framework Plan while maintaining the overall commitment to parkland, trails, and open space. The consolidated category provides greater flexibility in the design and location of parks, trails, and other open space amenities as development progresses, without reducing the total amount of parkland planned for Mayfair. Park types and trails will also be delivered and tracked in the Sector Plan and Plat approval processes.
Additionally, a proposed amendment to the Development Agreement would eliminate various public facilities as standalone land use categories and instead allow public facilities to be located within any designated land use area. Under the current Master Framework Plan, relatively small acreages are specifically allocated for public facilities. As public entities refine their facility plans over time to accommodate residents and businesses where they are located, adjustments can currently trigger a Major Amendment to the Master Framework Plan due to changes exceeding the 10 percent land use acreage threshold.
According to the applicant, this immediate-above proposed amendment would provide greater flexibility to coordinate with public infrastructure providers (schools, emergency services, and utilities), allowing facility locations to better align with service needs and the availability of supporting infrastructure. The proposed change would not reduce the commitment to providing public facilities within the Mayfair development; rather, it would provide additional flexibility in determining their ultimate locations. An unintended outcome of this alteration is the reclassification of several land uses including Transformer Station, Fire Station, Temporary Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Education - to Mixed Density Residential (MDR). But, more than half of the additional Mixed Density Residential is already developed or under development by Comal ISD for school facilities. And this reclassification would not increase overall residential development within Mayfair; the total number of residential units would remain limited to 6,000 as established by the Development Agreement.
The applicant also proposes redesignating approximately 22 acres from Mixed Density Residential to Commercial adjacent to Maytown, between Guthrie Trail and Promenade. According to the applicant, this area is intended to accommodate medical services adjacent to the high-traffic commercial uses located near the intersection of Kohlenberg Road and the IH-35 frontage road. The applicant believes this location represents a highly accessible, high-intensity commercial area that provides convenient access for both the general public and Mayfair residents. Additionally, the proposed medical use, together with the site's topography, creates an appropriate transition between the adjacent Mixed Density Residential area and the more intensive commercial development located to the south.
The current Master Framework Plan designates three Neighborhood Commercial corners, each approximately four acres, at the intersection of Mayfair Parkway and Promenade, to accommodate neighborhood scale commercial opportunities. The applicant is proposing to adjust them by removing the two commercial corners on the north side of the intersection and add a new approximately four-acre Commercial tract on the southwest corner adjacent to the park.
The secondary framework plans - Open Space/Environment/Parks and Amenities; Access and Connectivity/Infrastructure; and Development Pattern/Employment/Economic Impact - have been updated accordingly as part of the amendment, to reflect the proposed revised land use boundaries.
The applicant’s attachments include summary tables and additional detail regarding the above proposed land use and net acreage revisions.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REFERENCE:
Mayfair’s proposed amendments to their Master Framework Plan 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 2.1: Sustain community livability for all ages and economic backgrounds.
• Action 3.1: Plan for a healthy jobs/ housing balance.
• Action 3.3: Balance commercial centers with stable neighborhoods.
• Action 3.17: Enact policies that disincentivize incompatible commercial encroachment into neighborhoods that whittle away at the edges, while still allowing for neighborhood scale commercial within walking distance of homes.
• Strategy 2 “Aging in Place”: Ensure that community land use planning improves older-adult mobility through zoning enhancements that support the logical location of older-adult housing and services near transportation and mobility infrastructure.
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 Master Framework Plan, 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 300 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 two responses in support of the request and two responses in opposition. The attached notification map is currently being updated to reflect the responses received to date.
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=>