Hundreds of houses and apartments headed to Hutto as part of Olander Farms development
By Cody Baird – Staff Writer, Austin Business Journal
Feb 28, 2024
A mixed-use development totaling nearly 100 acres is on tap for Hutto.
Hutto City Council on Feb. 15 approved a development agreement for the 90-acre project with HL Capital Partners LLC, which plans to bring hundreds of single-family, multifamily, commercial and build-to-rent properties to the fast-growing city northeast of Austin.
Olander Farms, as the development is known, will rise at the northeast corner of Limmer Loop and North Farm to Market Road 1660 intersection, according to documents filed with the city.
“We’ve worked with staff to provide a multitude of different housing options along with some different price points that are going to help serve the city and community of Hutto,” Travis Bird, director of development at HL Capital Partners, told council members.
The development has multiple parcels set aside for single- and multifamily development. The single-family parcel is a 20-acre tract that will be developed with about 106 homes, according to the agreement.
Olander Farms will have single- and multifamily housing along with commercial space.
There are four multifamily parcels totaling about 61 acres. One tract will have 222 build-to-rent homes, a second will have 360 to 650 apartments, a third will have 122 for-sale townhomes and the fourth will have up to 160 apartments, according to the agreement.
In addition, Olander Farms has three commercial lots, totaling about 12 acres. One is about 6 acres and will have up to 60,000 square feet of commercial space.
Developers will employ green building practices and strive for energy efficiency and low water usage throughout, according to Bird’s presentation.
Hutto Mayor Mike Snyder said that while he wasn’t “a big fan of multifamily right here, I’m also a big fan of people’s property rights, and as long as you guys develop it in a way that doesn’t impact the people around them, then I think that’s what we’re here for.”
Hutto is growing fast, and Olander Farms could help support the trend. The city’s population more than doubled from 14,698 residents in 2010 to an estimated 36,655 in July 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Williamson County has been growing as well, with its population climbing from 422,679 in 2010 to an estimated 671,418 in July 2022.
Much of that growth is being propelled by the county's booming industrial base, which includes Samsung's massive semiconductor factory under construction in nearby Taylor. In turn, the area's rising population has benefitted other businesses as well, said panelists at the Austin Business Journal's recent Williamson County Growth Summit.
“There's a growing (diverse) population,” said Tom Staub, CEO of Red Oak Development Group, which plans to invest $15 billion to build mini-cities around Central Texas. “And what that means is diversity of ideas, concepts that we can all bring into our communities, and I think really create a thriving community.”
