Massive Residential Subdivision Idea Draws Scrutiny
A lot of folks near Ledbetter are airing concerns about a wastewater permit application for a massive residential subdivision just across the county line in Lee County. The owner says he has no plans to develop the property, but another party may be interested in buying it.
South Central Wastewater, a Houston company that builds and manages wastewater systems for real estate developers, submitted a permit application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a large wastewater treatment plant off US 290 in Lee County. The property where it would be located is a 206-acre tract at the corner of US 290 and County Road 139. The landowner also owns an adjacent 407-acre tract.
The permit application details a three-phase construction project with construction to begin on the first phase in the summer of 2030. The first phase would accommodate 400 homes, the application stated. The final phase could handle 1,000 homes, with construction to begin in 2039.
If the developer completes the full build-out, the sewer system would handle up to 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The treated wastewater would discharge into an unnamed tributary of Cummins Creek and eventually make its way into the Colorado River.
According to Lee County property records, the land is owned by the Louis A. Tsakiris Family Partnership LTD. The company purchased the property in October of last year.
The Record contacted Louis Tsakiris, who is listed as the registered agent of the company in a filing with the Texas Secretary of State. The Record spoke with Tsakiris on Tuesday, May 19.
“There are no plans for the property,” Tsakiris said. “It’s just an investment. There’s a third party company doing that (the wastewater permit). They asked to do that. I’m not going to develop the property. Its just an investment for me.”
The Record asked Tsakiris if someone else plans to develop it.
“Some guy asked me if he could apply for a permit,” Tsakiris said. “He thought he might want to buy the property or sell the property. I said, ‘You can do what you want.’” The Record asked Tsakiris who the person was. Tsakiris said he could not remember the name but he would find it and put us in touch with them. As of press time, we have not heard back from Tsakiris.
For a large wastewater system such as the one proposed near Ledbetter, regulation and permitting is handled by the State through the TCEQ, not the county.
Lee County Development Services Director Haley Lohrke handles subdivision and septic permitting for Lee County. Lohrke said no one from the development has contacted her office.
“We usually try to be very involved with any kind of development, especially a development of potentially this size,” Lohrke said.
“Development for this kind of housing, since it’s in the unincorporated area, would go through me and Commissioners Court, especially for what they’re proposing,” she added. “I have questions about water. I understand it’s preliminary, but there are still questions we would like to ask.”
The development site lies near Precinct 2 in Fayette County. Pct. 2 Commissioner Clint Sternadel previously served as Fayette County Inspector and permitting official.
“In my experience with subdivisions, one of the longest lead times is wastewater permitting,” Sternadel said. “In an unincorporated area like that, that can be a dealbreaker a lot of times. That has to work. If the state holds them up on that, or if the state conditions their permit in a certain way, that could make or break the whole operation. So it would seem logical to me that that’s where they’re starting.”
A group of landowners concerned about the development planned to hold a meeting Thursday, May 21, at the Ledbetter Fire Department at 6:30 p.m. They encourage the public to submit comments to the TCEQ and petition the Commission for a public meeting and contested case hearing over the permit application. To do so, visit https:// www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/ eComment/ and enter the permit number WQ0016964001.