We’re continuing our Destination Leander analysis in sharing the city’s vision and priority for Leander to be a residential destination.
Residential Destination
Leander has had significant growth over recent years. The city evolved from a small, Hill Country town to one of the most sought-after, thriving suburban destinations in Central Texas. Leander entices residents with location, high-quality schooling, and a relatively low cost of living.
When the City Council created the long-term Master Plan in 2015 with the help of public input, the population was predicted to be 59,821 in 2020; however, according to the United States Census Bureau, Leander had an estimated 62,608 people in July of 2019. As this explosive growth continues, Destination Leander is designed to guide the city and area down the pathway of smart development and high-quality living.
In a 2020 survey conducted by the city, leaders uncovered the community’s top important housing amenity considerations when moving:
1) School quality,
2) Housing quality,
3) Shade/mature trees,
4) Sidewalks,
5) Access to neighborhood trails, and
6) Open spaces.
The Leander Parks and Recreation Department, in part, serves those priorities. The department maintains ten parks, a variety of recreational facilities for public use, hosts recreation programs, and coordinates special events. At the time of the creation of Destination Leander, there were:
– 232 acres of public parkland in Leander
– 100 acres of private parkland
– 142 acres of public golf courses
– 15 miles of hike and bike trails, with another 140 miles planned.
Leander continues to place high in quality of life and safety rankings of cities across the country.
Residential development and progress are also influenced by demographic trends, including demand for certain housing types, including senior housing, multi-generational layouts, multi-family residential, and high-density housing options. Additionally, it was discovered that Millennials generally prefer to rent instead of purchasing a home. Destination Leander paves the way for a variety of housing types to accommodate the changing priorities of residents.
The City of Leander posted on September 4th, 2020, a map labeling the land’s future use. Anything under the pale beige color is intended for neighborhood residential land (most of the map).
As of June 30th of this year, developers have built more than 1,500 apartment units since 2015. And they’re not stopping–Leander is building an additional eight complexes that will have over 1,600 units available.
Photo by Maximillian Conacher on Unsplash