The small city of Hays is grappling with how to handle a proposed 271-home subdivision...
A rendering shows the Bailey and Armbruster tracts for the Persimmon development. About 60% of the development will be in Buda and its ETJ, while the rest will be in Austin’s ETJ.The small city of Hays, located in Hays County along the quickly growing I-35 corridor, is among the smallest incorporated cities in the state, with a population at last count of 257 souls.
MileStone Community Builders, an Austin-based homebuilding company, is looking to take over an existing development agreement that the city signed with another developer, Walters Southwest, in 2013. That original development agreement called for several hundred homes and a big-box retail development right outside the city limits, located at the intersection of State Highway 45 and FM 1626.
“We think that with the park system we’re going to put in there, the compatibility of uses is far better” for the city of Hays, Martin said. “It’s really been a win-win conversation with the leadership.” Longtime resident Carol Pennington is concerned about the lot sizes and the residential homes’ effects on the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.