Dripping Springs approves apartment-style homes in Belterra
A new apartment-style housing development is in the works at Belterra in Dripping Springs – something developers hope could eventually turn into “The Domain” of Hays County.
On Nov. 13, the Dripping Springs City Council approved the second amendment to the Belterra Commercial Development Agreement, which included four variances to the project.
The decision by the city council marks another step for Endeavor, the development company based in Austin, in its expansion of the Belterra project.
The variances approved by the council allows for up to a 65-foot structure height limit for multi-family use, as well as allowing 27 units per acre in density compared to the city ordinance’s 24.
Other variances include allowing alternate construction materials as allowed by building and fire codes and valet service in lieu of requirements for multi-family structures to be within 250 feet of the parking åfacility.
According to Endeavor officials, the project will include 233 residential units spanning from apartment-style to town home variants.
“The density allows for different housing types,” said Daniel Campbell, principal at Endeavour. “From a teacher and police officer to families, we want to blend the two together into one neighborhood to hit this unique residential feel.”
One of the four variances approved allows the developers to extend the maximum height of buildings from 40 to 65 feet.
Campbell said the additional real estate will allow the developers to add a pitched roof, giving the complex a neighborhood feeling.
The neighborhood will also push development to the middle of the 7.5-acre lot, moving the residential units away from the neighborhood and commercial developments that share its borders.
Mim James, Dripping Springs Planning & Zoning Commission chair, said Endeavor met with the surrounding homeowner associations and residents about the project, which factored in the commission’s decision to recommend the approval.
At the publication of this article, Endeavour was not able to provide how much the project would cost. Because the project is still in its preliminary planning stage, rent and home prices are also unknown at this time.
Michelle Fischer, Dripping Springs city administrator, said the city council will either pass or deny the amendment to the development agreement next meeting, putting the variances into full effect for the project.
The rationale behind the variances stems from the planning phase when the project was first introduced. According to Endeavour officials, the original development agreement was planned for a commercial component, not multifamily.
