The Hutto Economic Development Corporation on a 7-0 vote approved a temporary construction easement assignment and a right-of-entry to allow infrastructure and due-diligence work on corporation-owned Cottonwood properties, appointed a three-member advisory subcommittee for a forthcoming development agreement with Midway, and directed staff to negotiate a new farm lease for the Cottonwood site.

The board approved Resolution R-2025-026 to assign temporary construction easements to the city for installation of utilities and later approved Resolution R-2025-027 to grant right-of-entry to the Cottonwood properties for due diligence and property access needed to construct wastewater infrastructure. Both measures were adopted unanimously, recorded as 7-0. Treasurer Henry Gideon moved the easement resolution; Vice Chair Matt Minton seconded. The right-of-entry motion was moved by Treasurer Gideon and seconded by Kelly McLaughlin; both motions carried 7-0.

Why it matters: the easements and right-of-entry clear legal access for survey, geotechnical investigations and construction work needed to extend wastewater service into the Cottonwood tract — work stakeholders said is necessary before development or utility installation can proceed.

Economic development staff said the project team has held coordination meetings with rail and state transportation officials. “We did have 2 meetings last week, 1 with UPRR and 1 with TxDOT,” the city’s director of economic development reported, and the city and developer teams are sending additional information to those agencies for further review.

Developer representation at the meeting identified the immediate infrastructure work. Mia Serrato, land development manager with Lennar, told the board, “We’re constructing this 21 inch wastewater line,” and said survey work is planned with BGE and subsurface investigations will likely be completed by Terracon because of groundwater conditions in the area.

Board members also discussed a separate, parallel process: Midway (the private developer) is preparing a draft development agreement (DA) and city staff said they will meet with Midway and with the city’s director of development services and director of real estate services to provide expectations and procedural guidance. To help guide that work, Chair Clancy appointed a subcommittee composed of Kelly McLaughlin, Irma Gonzalez and Treasurer Henry Gideon to advise staff and the board on the DA discussions and to reduce later back-and-forth when the DA is drafted for board consideration.

After a closed-session discussion, the board voted 7-0 to direct the economic development director to negotiate a new farm lease with the current lessee for the Cottonwood property. The motion, moved by Treasurer Gideon and seconded by Vice Chair Minton, instructed staff to prepare a lease consistent with directions given in executive session.

What was not decided: board members asked about acreage and whether geotechnical work had been awarded; staff said permanent and temporary easement documents contain survey specifics but that geotechnical and certain engineering selections are the developer’s responsibility. The developer representative said geotechnical work is expected to be done by Terracon and that surveyors would be BGE.

Next steps: staff and the developer will continue due-diligence activities under the right-of-entry, Midway will incorporate city feedback into a draft development agreement, the subcommittee will advise staff and the board when that DA is ready for formal consideration, and staff will return with a proposed farm lease for board approval as negotiated.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution R-2025-026 (assignment of temporary construction easement to the city for Cottonwood properties): motion by Treasurer Henry Gideon; second by Vice Chair Matt Minton; outcome: approved 7-0.
- Resolution R-2025-027 (right-of-entry for due diligence and property access at Cottonwood properties): motion by Treasurer Henry Gideon; second by Kelly McLaughlin; outcome: approved 7-0.
- Direction to negotiate new farm lease for Cottonwood property: motion by Treasurer Henry Gideon; second by Vice Chair Matt Minton; outcome: approved 7-0.

Board action on the Midway development-agreement process included the appointment of a subcommittee (McLaughlin, Gonzalez, Gideon) to advise staff during DA drafting; that appointment was made during regular business and will be used for coordination prior to any DA returning for board approval.