ROCKWALL —
The Heath Golf & Yacht Club, an 800-acre master planned community, moved a step closer to reality this week with a letter from Mayor John Ratcliffe to Texas Rep. Jodie Laubenberg.
The letter, discussed at the Heath City Council’s Tuesday night meeting, seeks Laubenberg’s assistance with and sponsorship of legislation creating a municipal management district in Heath.
“There are so many issues to work through,” developer Robert Whittle said Wednesday. “This is the first of many of those steps. But we’re making progress.”
The Heath Golf & Yacht Club, Whittle said, will be a mixed-use community that will include a golf course, single family residences and villas.
“It will have all the best qualities of a resort community, with all the best qualities of a residential community,” Whittle said.
“There are a lot of components,” he added. “There’s not many resort-residential communities. It’s one of a kind for our area. It works because it has a half mile of lake frontage.”
A municipal management district, which the City of Heath is seeking, is a political subdivision of the state created to promote, develop, encourage and maintain employment, commerce, transportation, housing tourism, recreation, arts, entertainment, economic development, safety and public welfare within a defined area.
The district must be created by the legislature.
Ratcliffe’s letter to Laubenberg stated: “As you may be aware, the City of Heath has been in discussions with developer Robert Whittle regarding the creation of a district and all parties know that we must agree on the language of the bill for it to be a viable bill.”
The mayor pointed out that the city council met Tuesday and “indicated support for going forward with this creation with the caveat that not every detail is finalized.”
“The city reserves its right to oppose the bill later should the parties fail to agree on all issues,” the letter continued. “That having been said, the city and the developer have been working together diligently, and most details have been decided. City officials feel confident that an agreement on all issues will occur.”
Ratcliffe then asked that the letter serve as a request for Laubenberg’s office to seek a bill draft from the Texas Legislative Council on this matter.
The planned community was mentioned as a $500 million project at the city council meeting.
Whittle offered clarification.
When Buffalo Creek was in its early stages in 1987, Whittle told the city council that the development at “buildout” would add $300 million in tax value for the City of Heath. The development is at 90 percent now, he said. When it reaches 100 percent, Whittle added, the tax value total will exceed the projection.
At “buildout,” the Heath Golf & Yacht Club could add $500 million to the city’s tax roll.
The planned development is at the southern entrance into Heath.
“It will be a wonderful entrance as you transition from Forney into Heath,” Whittle said.
His Buffalo Creek development is at the northern entrance into the city.
“It creates the two front doors to our community,” Whittle said. “I believe it creates the type of front door into our community that would make all of the community proud.”
Whittle said his goal is to start breaking ground on the project this fall.
“It all depends on the city getting comfortable with everything,” he added. “We’re certainly starting that process now.”
He stressed that the project development will be a “gradual process,” with multiple hearings and meetings.
Local News
Heath Golf & Yacht Club development moves forward
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