With the population explosion in Boerne over the last decade, many have asked… “Why can’t we just pause growth?”

That exact question came up during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, as city staff presented findings from the recent Community Survey. Many residents voiced concern about rapid development, increased traffic, and the perception that new projects are moving forward without enough oversight or infrastructure.

But when it comes to hitting the brakes, city officials say they can only do so much.

During his presentation, Planning Director Nathan Crane addressed the issue head-on, calling the idea of a blanket stop on development a common misconception.

“There’s a myth or there’s a saying — ‘Hey, can we stop growth?’… That’s a myth. That’s not something we can do.”

Crane explained that Texas is a strong property rights state, and local governments are limited in their ability to deny development on privately owned land — especially in areas outside city limits or in the county where zoning doesn’t apply. Add in private utility companies and a constantly shifting legal environment at the state level, and it becomes even more complicated.

So What Would Qualify for a Moratorium?

Under Chapter 212 of the Texas Local Government Code, a city can only enact a temporary moratorium on new development if it faces a documented shortage in essential public facilities, such as:

• Water
• Wastewater
• Roads or transportation capacity

Crane gave examples from other Texas cities:

• Conroe, where a water shortage triggered a temporary halt on approvals
• Granbury, which did the same due to limited sewer capacity

But Boerne doesn’t meet that threshold. Currently, Boerne has utility capacity for additional growth, according to Crane. “We don’t qualify for a moratorium.”

Previously Approved Projects Keep Moving

Even if the city did qualify for a moratorium, it wouldn’t affect developments that were already approved.

“For example, if you take Ranches at Creekside, [if] we could and did qualify for a moratorium, that would be able to continue to go, because they’ve already been approved. It would only apply to new projects.”

Crane noted that many of the projects currently under construction were approved before 2020, when Boerne adopted its updated Unified Development Code (UDC). That means they’re not required to follow newer standards around things like lot sizes, setbacks, or traffic impact.

“So you’re not seeing those new standards implemented in the new development, because they were approved previously.”

What the City Says It’s Doing Now

While a moratorium isn’t on the table, there are several tools the city is using to manage future growth:

• The Comprehensive Master Plan, which guides long-term planning
• The Unified Development Code, adopted in 2020, which sets updated rules for zoning, subdivisions, and environmental protection
• More rigorous traffic impact analyses for new projects
• Investments in infrastructure planning, including recent participation in federal safety grants
• Improvements to the permitting process, with goals of making residential permits easier and faster through digital tools — including a possible AI chatbot to help residents navigate the system

City Council members emphasized that while they understand residents’ concerns, they are often legally required to approve projects that meet all current standards.

The City Hears the Concerns

To sum it up, essentially the city says it hears the calls for a pause in growth — but under current law, it doesn’t have the authority to implement one. In the meantime, they’re working to tighten regulations, improve communication, and guide Boerne’s growth in a way that better reflects the community’s values and priorities.