An estimated $1.5 million fix for Goforth Road in east Kyle might be forthcoming, but only if proposed or future developments in the area help to partially foot the bill.
That’s the path Kyle city leaders plan to take after they greenlit an agreement with developers of Castetta Ranch, a new subdivision that is expected to house 400 lots on 119-acres along Goforth Road. The Kyle City Council approved the development agreement by a xxx vote.
Per the agreement, developers of Castetta Ranch promised to set aside some of their parkland funds to maintain and fix Goforth Road to better serve current and future residents of the area. The agreement states the developers would set aside $300 per lot.
Crafting the agreement was necessary as the city sought assistance in paying for an estimated $1.5 million in fixes to Goforth Road, which was not part of the city’s $35 million road bond in 2013.
According to city staff, Goforth Road was not an urgent fix at the time of the passage of the bonds. Staff said the road was intended to go into the next set of bond projects. Kyle Assistant City Manager James Earp said the city had planned to fix that section of Goforth Road, “but this funding will help us do it more quickly.”
Further exacerbating the need to fix the road, however, is the possibility of additional development near Castetta Ranch. The Kyle City Council also approved rezoning 127-acres owned by Robert and Karen Schlortt from agricultural (AG) to Neighborhood Commercial, Community Commercial, Residential Condominium and Single-Family Residential. No formal plans for development on the Schlortt property have been submitted at this time.
But with an increase in density that could come to that section of Goforth Road, city leaders pushed to get repairs going. Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said parkland funds from Castetta Ranch will likely account for only part of the repair costs and that the city will fund the rest.
“We need that road fixed and so do the developers,” said Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell. “We cannot have one project without the other.”
Mitchell said residents should not expect to see construction on Goforth Road begin immediately. Kyle will receive funding for the fixes once development starts to happen in Castetta Ranch. The timeframe for construction to start on the subdivision is unknown at this time.
Kyle city leaders have only approved a rezoning request for the Schlortt property, which allows for development. It is possible, according to staff, that an agreement similar to that with Castetta Ranch could be struck with future developers of the Schlortt property.
