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New Braunfels Approves 1,800+ acre Master-Planned Community
Mayfair’s master plan includes homes, parks, schools, and commercial development, and looks to create New Braunfels, TX – (June 28, 2021) New Braunfels-based SouthStar Communities has announced plans to develop 1,880 acres located in northern Comal County, just outside the City of New Braunfels.
New Braunfels City Council approved the Development Agreement for Mayfair at its meeting on Monday June 28th following a unanimous recommendation for approval by the Planning Commission. Located in the city’s ETJ, Mayfair will be a mixed-use, master-planned community which is estimated to generate 2,000 permanent jobs over the next 15 years. The development is located within the extra-territorial jurisdiction of New Braunfels, however the Development Agreement provides the City with layers of oversight in the planning, permitting and public park operation. Current plans submitted to the City call for the development to include nearly 6,000 homes, over 70 acres of commercial property, over 120 acres of mixed-use development, over 300 acres of public parks and a 160-acre employment park, and four new Comal ISD schools.
According to SouthStar, construction will begin in 2021 with the first homes expected to be completed in 2023. SouthStar anticipates it will take approximately 15 years for the entire Mayfair community to be completed. The development spans east and west along I-35 just north of Town Center at Creekside Crossing in northern New Braunfels. Ideally situated in Texas’ “innovation corridor,” because of its central location to the growing tech hubs of Austin and San Antonio and proximity to local universities in the region.
While the vision for Mayfair is to be a fully walkable and bikeable community, SouthStar plans to add an east-west connector under I-35 between Watson Lane and Kohlenberg connecting both sides of the community and facilitating travel across northern Comal County. The community includes more than 300 acres of public parks, more than 35 miles of trails including, dedicated bike lanes, mountain bike trails, nature, and multi-use trails, and will include connections to the City of New Braunfels Trails Masterplan.
“New Braunfels is our hometown, and we’re excited to play a part in its continued growth and success,” said Thad Rutherford, president of SouthStar Communities. “This community sits in the middle of the Central Texas’ economic and innovation boom. We’re proud to create jobs immediately and also maintain jobs for years to come.”
Upon completion, Mayfair is expected to be a 6,000-home community that will provide a variety of housing including: single-family homes, apartments, townhomes, duplexes and more. Homes will span from entry level to move up and beyond, and will include affordable and workforce housing.
“Since the first city council action in 2013 to authorize the creation of the Water Improvement District, the City has been invested in ensuring that the holistic planning efforts for development of the GLO tract would strike a positive outcome for the city and its residents,” said Jeff Jewell, director of economic and community development, City of New Braunfels. “The City has been in discussions with SouthStar for two years to identify shared values and areas where we could collaborate to provide benefits for Mayfair and New Braunfels residents. Coordinating with Southstar on the Mayfair project helps ensure that the project aligns with forward looking city plans and that the project benefits the city and region.”
SouthStar will work closely with the City of New Braunfels Economic Development Foundation to attract new employers to fill the 160-acre employment center. A recent study by TXP, Inc. estimated more than 2,000 permanent jobs will be created by the development and generate a new property tax base of nearly $2 billion for the area.