Construction of Cardinal Points, off of Four Points Drive near River Place Boulevard, is underway and will have 120 units. Construction workers were busy at the site on Monday.
By CASSIE MCKEE
Four Points News
With Leander ISD adding approximately 1,000 new students per year, making it one of the fastest-growing school districts in the state, school board trustees may have to start taking a closer look at the impact subsidized apartment developments could have on existing schools.
Two new subsidized developments are planned to be completed in the next two years within Leander ISD. In Four Points, Cardinal Point is currently under construction and will have 120 units. The Tuckaway Apartments is another 250-unit development expected to open this year in Cedar Park. There are six subsidized developments already located throughout the district.
“When one comes in, others tend to follow because it sets a precedent,” LISD Superintendent Dan Troxell said during an October meeting of the school board.
Troxell said some school districts in the state have made the decision to oppose subsidized developments because they tend to have higher percentages of students per unit, which can force school districts to have to pass bonds to build additional schools. He said that Katy ISD is one such district that now opposes all subsidized housing after having to build two new elementary schools to accommodate two subsidized developments a number of years ago.
Dr. Stacey Tepera, data manager for Population and Survey Analytics, the firm which compiles annual demographic data for LISD, said it’s not uncommon for school districts to have to build additional schools to accommodate new subsidized developments.
“Many districts are concerned when these complexes are built because it puts a strain on one specific school,” Tepera said.
