Add Elgin to list of northeast Austin suburbs fixing to boom

Qualico Communities is next in line to transform a swath of farmland in the quiet northeast Austin suburb of Elgin into a massive residential development.

The Canadian firm is set to start construction this fall on Triada, a 271-acre master-planned community slated for 875 single-family homes and a 15-acre sports complex, north of U.S. 290 and west of County Line Road, the Austin American-Statesman reported. 

Triada, extending from FM 1100 on the south to Carlson Road on the north, will be developed in six phases, with completion expected by 2031. Elgin City Council greenlit the project last week. Qualico has not disclosed the project’s estimated cost or its financial partners.

Homes will range from 1,100 square feet to 2,800 square feet, on 35- to- 50-foot lots. Prices have not been determined, although Qualico aims to cater to “homebuyers in every life stage,” vice president Kevin Fleming told the outlet.

The first batch of homes are slated for completion by the end of next year. Pacesetter Homes has signed on as one of the builders.

Triada is set to include amenities such as a fitness center, a pool and two pickleball courts. Plans also call for 55 acres of open space, 3.8 miles of trails and a 15-acre sports complex with baseball and soccer fields, poised for public use.

Elgin, located in north Bastrop County, has experienced steady growth in recent years. Its population increased 14.5 percent in three years, from 9,912 in 2017 to 11,359 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But Elgin has yet to emerge as a hotbed for development the way nearby towns like Bastrop and Taylor have, with the arrival of a Samsung semiconductor plant and Elon Musk’s Boring Company. 

A development boom may be on the horizon in Elgin, though. Builders had started construction on 566 houses in Elgin over the 12 months ending in April, according to Zonda. That’s a dramatic increase from four years prior, when new-home starts totaled 75 a year. 

Earlier this year, Elgin City Council approved Houston-based Ashton Gray’s request to annex 75 acres into Briarwood, a 205-acre community slated for 772 single-family homes in the city’s first municipal utility district. The development will feature 182 townhomes, 19 acres of mixed-use, multifamily or commercial development and 43 acres of parkland. 

—Quinn Donoghue

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