ELMENDORF, Texas – Elmendorf is a small, sleepy city on the verge of possibly multiplying its population with an enormous new subdivision.
"There's been some growth over these years, but nothing quite as dramatic as what we're getting ready to experience," said Cody Dailey, city administrator.
Dailey, who estimates the city's current population at "pretty close to about 2,000," expects homebuilding company D.R. Horton to break ground in a few months on a subdivision with up to 3,500 lots near the intersection of Loop 1604 South and U.S. Highway 181.
The 978.6-acre project, called The Ranch at Elmendorf, would occupy a sizable portion of the city's footprint, "Maybe 30 percent, 35 percent," Dailey said.
The development is a huge deal, he said, and the growth could bring in more tax revenue for the small city and attract more local retail activity.
"Our citizens now have to drive to Brooks City Base one way or the city of Floresville the other," Dailey said.
"We'd like to see that retail just so that people, you know, will be able to have those conveniences nearby instead of having to drive 10, 13 miles to get what they need done."
The developer still needs to go through a plat process to subdivide the land, Dailey said, though he expects that will finish by mid-March. After that, he said, the developer hopes to break ground within 60 days and start putting up houses by the end of the year.
A master plan provided by the city of Elmendorf shows the site divided up into 11 "pods."
"The 3,500 homes won't be here overnight. I'm sure they're looking more in the range of 180, 200 homes per year," Dailey estimated.
Though the city administrator thinks the growth will change Elmendorf, he also hopes the community is able to keep what he called its "core feel."
"It's the people that really make Elmendorf what it is now, and we're hopeful that that will be able to continue," Dailey said.