The Mueller Development is located on the same brownfield development as the Ronald Mc Donald House. It is 700 acres and is an intentionally mixed use development including retail stores such as Home Depot, places to work, a large hospital, and housing of every kind. Their goals included sustainability, diversity, and flexible zoning. Environmentally, their goal was to protect endangered "blackland forest" land. They intentionally left green spaces scattered throughout the development and a running trail around the edge of it to protect native land. They developed a " water detention pond" which prevents storm water run-off from getting into clean rivers. They used decomposed granite trails to allow rain to penetrate instead of running off as in a concrete trail.
In an interesting partnership with the city, the developer sold the land to the city, and would buy the land back whenever they had an arrangement with a builder. This way, the developer didn't have to pay taxes during the interim, but the city owned the land until a builder was found. Also, the city would get a current price for the land based on a up-to-date appraisal. The housing selection included condos, apartments, and homes - 25% of which were affordable (125 - 160K). The homes are built with a 3 star green rating using the city of Austin's green ratings.
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