Which “Future” for Growth in Georgetown? by Ann Marie Kennon
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andidate for Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder believes, when it comes to managing growth in Georgetown, it is important to recognize there are limited options. “The key is understanding that growth will happen in and around Georgetown. We only get to choose whether we manage the growth within our city limits and extra-territorial jurisdiction, or we can choose to allow it to continue unchecked right outside our city limits. I believe the best approach is to bring development under our control and manage it appropriately.” Schroeder explains, due to where the large tracts of undeveloped land are right now, most growth could legally occur outside city limits, so the city must decide either to incorporate it, or just let it happen right outside their doorstep and have no say in what it looks like. “When people talk about capping population growth, or a moratorium on building permits, they fail to understand that we legally can’t just do that in the state of Texas. And even if we could shut down growth, it would just result in giant subdivisions that would encircle the city, and they could do whatever they want without our say. We can either watch it happen or we can manage it.”
HOW DO WE MANAGE IT? Schroeder agrees that new growth can and should pay for itself, but there is a balance to be struck. “Developers pay for and build all of the infrastructure in their neighborhoods; parks, roads, water, sewer, internet, gas, and electric. When they complete the project, they turn all of it over to the city. In addition, the developers pay impact fees to the city. Those fees represent the cost to the city to operate, maintain, and replace 2
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all of the sewers and plants, roads and traffic changes, and parks, perpetually.” For example, developers are required to provide a study on the traffic impact of all new neighborhoods, and, based upon that study, the city requires the developer to pay an impact fee per residential lot, in addition to the roads that the developer must build to accommodate the new residences. One of the major changes to the development code that could occur in the near future is a significant increase in traffic impact fees, and be a set fee per lot. “What many people don’t realize, and a big part of the affordable housing debate, is that these impact fees are about having quality homes and neighborhoods, but there is nothing a city mandates for a developer that is not ultimately paid for by the homeowner. A good rule of thumb is this: for every $10,000 in city-mandated fees, the cost of the home goes up $40,000 because the developer paid that fee for dozens or hundreds of homes, took the risk, and carried the cost (and interest) with a bank. He passed that cost to the builder, who then carried the risk and interest until the home was purchased. The costs just multiply down the chain. We want people to be able to afford to live here, and having good streets and parks is what brings them here. We just have to ensure our regulatory requirements don’t price them out of the market. This is just one illustration of the difficulty in calibrating competing interests for every single project that comes before the city.”
LOCATION! Another important aspect of development, Schroeder says, is preserving commercial cor-
