Morningstar Residential Community Addresses Regional Housing Challenges

Challenge: The MorningStar community development project outside of Austin, Texas was initiated to address several critical challenges in the region. One of the primary challenges was a demand for affordable and family-friendly housing options. As the city’s population grew, finding suitable homes became increasingly difficult, leading to escalating housing costs. Additionally, the lack of essential community infrastructure was a pressing concern for residents in the area.

Solution: The MorningStar community development project was planned and executed to tackle these challenges and included multiple housing products and builders, commercial, retail, multi-family, daycares, and condos.

MorningStar has 2 full amenity centers (pool, clubhouse, fire pits, meeting space), a dog park, basketball court, playscapes, pond with fishing pier, and 90+ acres of parks and open space with a network of hike & bike trails and workout equipment. These amenities not only improve the quality of life for residents but also enhance the overall appeal of the area.

Stakeholder Coordination

Stakeholder coordination was paramount in the success of this development project. The MorningStar community site was part of the City of Liberty Hill Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) and the roadways are owned by Williamson County, requiring dual jurisdiction review.

The City of Liberty Hill provided wastewater service, the City of Georgetown provided water service, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulated environmental concerns around water quality over the Edward’s Aquifer. This involved very complicated stakeholder coordination due to the many regulatory jurisdictions involved, but HR Green was successful.

Some key elements of this stakeholder coordination were:

• To deliver a cost-effective project, HR Green helped the developer set up a Municipal Utility District (MUD). The MUD allowed the developer to get reimbursed for public infrastructure through the issuance of bonds after the infrastructure was constructed.
• The developer also entered into a Development Agreement with the City of Liberty Hill to expand their wastewater system in return for impact fee credits to accelerate the construction of the needed infrastructure that the City could not fund. The Development Agreement included provisions to build 40-foot, 50-foot, and 60-foot lots to deliver the affordable housing product that the market needed.
• The developer also entered into a Development Agreement with Williamson County to build a 4-lane major arterial roadway (Kauffman Loop) that the county needed but did not have funding in place. The agreement has cost reimbursement in place to accelerate the construction of the road and help offset costs to the developer.

Benefit: The MorningStar community development project effectively addressed housing challenges, improved the quality of life for residents, and contributed to economic growth in the region. It is a noteworthy example of the positive impact of well-planned community development on a community and its residents.