With Buda’s continued growth, Senior Planner David Fowler doesn’t have a lot of down time.
“In this position I review a lot of development and I also help people in the very early stages, whether they are homeowners, property owners, or people who are looking to develop a piece of land. I help them figure out what they can and cannot do.”
David has been a planner for almost 17 years.
“The City pretty much has to account for everything. It is illegal for cities to exclude certain types of development that people may think is undesirable. We have heavy and light industrial, commercial, and residential. We also have special zoning districts designed to preserve the character of downtown.”
In late 2017, the City adopted an updated Unified Development Code. It specifies types of zoning and other vital information for businesses or residential builders looking to develop in Buda.
“For residential buildings and commercial buildings, our zoning code contains standards of what sort of architectural look all new buildings should have.”
You can find the Unified Development Code on our website under Planning and Engineering.
“We get very heavy application traffic as far as new site plans and new development proposals. We also get a lot of phone calls from people looking to develop pieces of land or businesses looking to come to the community.”
Speaking of businesses, you have probably noticed various construction projects around Cabela’s. Some of the new businesses coming include a Jalisco's restaurant, a Freddy’s restaurant and even a future dance hall. One of the other projects, pending building approval, is a Chick-fil-A.
Meanwhile, when it comes to residential construction, there are a number of steps builders must go through.
“In many cases for a new residential community, unless the land is already in the City, many of the new residential communities are on land that needs to be annexed. The applicant will first have to go through the annexation process and get the zoning that they need. Then they have to submit the building plans.”
One of David’s main responsibilities is to help the public understand the planning process.
“Our first priority is the citizens of Buda. We are a resource for you. We are here to help you."
If you have planning related questions please call 512-312-0084 and ask for the Planning Department.
You can watch the video version of this Employee Spotlight here: Employee Spotlight Video - David Fowler, Senior Planner
