Public hearing Tuesday for proposed Fircrest condo project

OakRidge Homes is planning to build 34 condos on the northern edge of the Fircrest Golf Club property along Regents Boulevard.

If approved, the development will be built on a wooded area along the 11th fairway, according to city of Fircrest planning documents. Of those 34 dwellings, four will be single-family, and the rest will be duplexes.

The city’s Planning Commission is holding a public hearing during its meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday to consider public comments and questions about the development.

OakRidge Homes is under contract to buy the nearly 5-acre site from the golf course, said Doug Jorgensen, the immediate past president of the club.

It will be the first time the club sells a piece of its land for homes, Jorgensen said.

“That’s kind of a new thing for us, and we don’t want to make a habit of it,” he said.

With the money for the land’s sale, Jorgensen said, the golf club will build a new family activity and fitness center adjacent to its clubhouse. Jorgensen declined to say how much the transaction will cost. A representative with OakRidge Homes declined to comment on its planned purchase and terms of the sale.

“Golf is not doing that well right now, so we are trying to get younger members,” Jorgensen said. The planned family-oriented activity center will have exercise machines, a place to drop off children while parents golf, and rooms for classes, he said.

The club will eventually have membership tiers for those who want to use the new center.

Angelie Stahlnecker, planning and building administrator with the city, said the project is the largest in Fircrest since the Great Recession. It’s possible the Planning Commission could approve the golf club condos at its Tuesday meeting after hearing public comment.

After that, it could take the city department a couple of months to work with the developer to finalize plans for the homes, she said, after which the company would begin construction.

But why are they called condos? Stahlnecker said it’s because all 34 dwellings will exist on a single lot. People who buy them are buying only the insides of the buildings. Residents will pay a fee to a condo association, which will maintain yards and a small private road that will cut through the development.

Architect Mike Cina, president of AustinCina Architects, said after the city approves the development, his company will parcel off the land and sell the project to OakRidge Homes.

The two-story, two-bedroom units have patios and share driveways with adjacent units. They include a den, an open loft and a two-car garage, according to documents on the Fircrest website.

To make way for the development, the plan calls for cutting down 383 “significant trees” and keeping 124. Developers will replant 54 deciduous and pine trees.

The public hearing will be held during the 6 p.m. Tuesday planning commission meeting, at Fircrest City Hall, 115 Ramsdell St.

City planning staff have recommended the project for approval.

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Public hearing Tuesday for proposed Fircrest condo project."