Georgetown Development Plans

The following is courtesy of Councilman Fought:

The Development Pipeline Most of us recognize that the driving force behind many of the issues we face in our community, especially on the City Council, is growth. The general situation is that if we don't get sufficiently ahead of the growth it can overrun us and we lose control of our destiny. But if we overshoot and build too much infrastructure we can accrue a tax burden that will deter the very growth for which we are planning. The focus has to be on building a bridge to the future, not a plank we walk to our financial ruin. While that's an accurate assessment of the situation, it's still a rather sterile set of statements. In fact, even acknowledging "We're the fastest growing city, over 50,000 population, in the United States" doesn't convey the magnitude of the issues involved, or the sense of urgency for crafting sensible policies. Fortunately the City Staff took the time to create a "big picture" for us. Please click here to see the map.* [The font size on the map is small because there is so much "growth" to fit onto the map, so you'll have to use whatever "enlarge" feature you have on your computer to be able to read it. Take a moment to study it before reading further along.] As shown on the map, and as of 1 March 2017, there are 23,716 units in the planning stage, 3,725 units in the development stage, and 652 building starts this fiscal year-to-date (i.e, since 1 October 2016). These are breathtaking numbers, especially when you consider they do not include the commercial, Planned Unit Development, or multi-family developments that already exist throughout the City. Keep in mind that this is just a snapshot and there is more coming down the pike on the west side of IH-35, in particular in the Ronald Reagan and Williams Drive corridors, and on the east side in the vicinity of Longhorn Junction. The City Council and Staff have a long list of items which we watch closely, and attempt to shape, as we grow.  Among these are: ·        Maintaining the high-level of public safety services to which we in Georgetown have become accustomed, especially for Police, Fire and EMS; ·        Maintaining the high-level of quality of life which brought us to this area in the first place; ·        Maintaining the character of Georgetown, especially "The Square"; ·        Keeping the City property tax rate low; ·        Making growth pay for growth through impact fees, utility rates, and so forth; ·        Shifting the City tax base away from residential property and toward commercial, especially retail property and activity. I believe we've done a pretty good job on these issues, especially given the level of growth we have experienced. I'll do my best to keep you informed about issues under the headings listed above and seek your opinions as we move ahead, beginning with the next two articles in this newsletter. __________ *  My personal thanks to the City Staff members who compiled this map -- that was a lot of intricate work.  These development plans raise many questions that will be explored in future posts, one of which is; why are there no new road projects in these developing areas?