Mayfair’s moment: Project that will add thousands of new homes breaks ground near New Braunfels
Construction and development of the 1,900-acre Mayfair project has officially begun.
Representatives of SouthStar Communities, officials with the City of New Braunfels and board directors for the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce gathered at the site of what will soon become the Mayfair community for a celebratory groundbreaking on Tuesday.
The project, which is set to be completed over the course of the next 15 years, is expected to bring thousands of housing units and dozens of commercial properties, over 300 acres of public parks and spaces to accommodate four new Comal ISD schools.
“This is not just a neighborhood or a community for people that are eventually going to move to New Braunfels,” Thad Rutherford, the president and CEO of SouthStar Communities said during the ceremony. “But we hope our public spaces, our district and our jobs, the commercial areas (comprising) 108 acres of restaurants and retail benefit and accentuate what’s already great.”
SouthStar Communities initially began discussing the development of the property in early 2020 with city officials and introduced the plans for the land use to the public in mid-2021. Several months later the first planned sector of the project was approved by city council in late March.
Mayfair will reside on the end of Comal County toward the Hays County line with Sector Plan 1 of the community starting up north of Kohlenberg Road and east of Interstate 35. Mayfair is nestled near the county limits where it meets Hays County, which are two of the fastest growing counties in the country.
According to 2020 Census data published by the U.S. Census Bureau the population of Comal County grew by over 50,000 between 2010 and 2020. As of July 2021 there are nearly 175,000 people living in the county — about an 8% increase in just a little over a year.
“Smart Growth is really taking away our challenges that this region is having,” said Rutherford addressing the rising concerns over growth. “(It’s about identifying) the things that make people worried and then taking that into account in our planning process.”
In preparation for some of the growth facing the area there are building plans in place to connect the east and west sides of Interstate 35 with an underpass located at the section of the highway between Watson Lane and Kohlenberg allowing for easier access in and out of the community.
The community will also be adding four schools to the Comal County school district — two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.
The 330-acre space dedicated to public parks will consist of 35 miles worth of trails and pathways, including off-street bike lanes, mountain bike trails and multi-use trails. These trails are said to connect throughout the community allowing for easier access to the community’s commercial properties.
“We really love the idea of creating walkable pedestrian-friendly retail,” Gretchen Howell, the senior vice president of development of SouthStar Communities said. “People can come park their car if they don’t live here and do the trails, do the parks and really enjoy this mixed retail experience.”
One of the first things on SouthStar’s agenda is starting the design and development of some of its public parks, and given the lack of parks in the area where they’re building the company is hoping to have some of those available to the public early on.
“We’re working with the City of New Braunfels and programming the public parks as a complement to all that’s existing in the city now,” Howell said. “They’re working on that so we can identify those elements that aren’t presently available to county residents and they can have this area to enjoy as well.”