Lennar Withdraws Permit Application Tied to Development

Lennar Homes officially backed away from a key regulatory step for a large, controversial residential development outside San Antonio, withdrawing an application for a wastewater treatment facility that would have supported the project.

The Miami-based builder recently pulled its application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a permit tied to its proposed Comfort 590 development, according to a filing obtained by the San Antonio Business Journal. The move removes a critical piece of infrastructure for the planned subdivision in Comfort, an unincorporated Kendall County community about 45 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio.

Lennar, the nation’s second-largest homebuilder, proposed building roughly 1,100 homes on about 600 acres along Highway 87, with entitlements allowing capacity for another 1,300 units. Because the area lacks centralized sewer service, the project hinged on a standalone wastewater treatment system capable of disposing of up to 600,000 gallons per day.

The company formally withdrew the permit application on Dec. 22. Lennar declined to comment on the decision or clarify whether it still intends to pursue the development.

The pullback marked a milestone for local opponents. Comfort Neighbors, a grassroots group formed to fight the project, hailed the withdrawal as a major win after more than a year of organizing against what it described as an outsized, high-density development for a town of roughly 3,000 residents.

The group includes landowners adjacent to the proposed site, who raised concerns about water availability, wastewater impacts and broader strain on local infrastructure. Members have argued that the development would threaten air and water quality and undermine the area’s rural character, according to the publication. Over the past year, Comfort Neighbors has staged town halls, community meetings and a rally in June to oppose the project.

The episode is a familiar tune for Lennar in the region, though not one from which the builder is used to backing down. Two other Lennar developments are grappling with infrastructure limits and increasingly organized local resistance.

Another proposed 600,000-gallon wastewater permit is under review for the builder’s proposed 850-home Broken Cedar Ranch in Comal County, north of San Antonio, that would pump treated wastewater into nearby Canyon Lake. TCEQ scheduled a public meeting to address the development for Feb. 10 at Canyon Lake High School.

A proposed 2,900-home development, Guajolote Ranch, northwest of San Antonio near the suburb of Helotes did receive a wastewater permit, despite local opposition. It allows discharge of up to 1 million gallons daily into Helotes Creek, a tributary that feeds the Edwards Aquifer, which is a drinking water source for more than 2.5 million people across 13 counties, according to the Edwards Aquifer Authority.

— Eric Weilbacher