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Annexation sets groundwork for hotel, further commercial development
City Council voted unanimously last week to expand Elgin’s boundaries along Texas 95 and set the stage for future development.
The approval Jan. 20 annexes 45 acres known as Silo Ranch into the city limits. The property is being developed by Cromwell Commercial Group, which owns two adjacent tracts along the Texas 95 North, and is part of a larger long-term development plan for construction directly off the highway, according to Development Services Director Beau Perry.
The property will remain in agricultural use until zoning changes are approved and commercial activity begins. Early plans include space for a new hotel.
“It’ll still be used for agricultural purposes, but it is part of a larger development they are currently planning,” he said. “When the development is built there — and it’s proposed to be a hotel, that’s when the sales tax will come in.”
Project proposals are expected to come before the council in future meetings.
The annexation brings the remaining portion of a 76-acre tract into the city, assigned by council members to Ward 3. The area currently has no residents.
Perry said the annexation is required under a previously approved agreement tied to development activity on the property.
“This property was originally under an annex development agreement, which basically stipulated that at the point in time they submitted development plans … they needed to annex into the city,” Perry said.
The city already provides water and wastewater to the area and the lot will fall under the Elgin Police Department’s service area immediately upon annexation. Fire protection will continue to be provided by Bastrop/Travis Counties Emergency Services District No. 1.
No capital improvements are required by the city at this time, according to officials.
