At a Sept. 29 special meeting, Fredericksburg City Council voted 4-1 on the Waldorf Astoria resort off Goehmann Lane, with Councilmember Gary Neffendorf voting against. The vote approved a new conceptual route for one city road across the resort property and directed staff to negotiate an annexation and development agreement. The details residents will drive on and pay for were all left to a separate document, and that document is now being negotiated.
The road is called the Frederick Road Extension. Its future depends on an annexation and development agreement that the city's own planning calendar slotted for the Nov. 17 council meeting.
What Resolution 2026-05 actually approved
The measure council passed is Resolution 2026-05. It covers about 106.89 acres at or near 405 Goehmann Lane owned by Lantana Land Holdings, LLC. The resolution describes that land as lying "within the extraterritorial jurisdiction" of Fredericksburg, which means it sits outside the city limits.
In a staff memo, Assistant City Manager Garret Bonn calls the road "a future arterial roadway on the City's Thoroughfare Plan, commonly referred to as the Frederick Road Extension." The developer and its transportation engineer, Kimley-Horn, proposed a new path across the tract. The memo calls the new path "a substantial deviation from the adopted Thoroughfare Plan," but its north and south connection points line up with the original plan. Staff recommended approval on the understanding that "the revised alignment is conceptual for planning purposes."
Section 4 of the resolution lists everything the vote left open:
The specifics of the final roadway design and width, any necessary right-of-way or easements, construction and funding responsibilities, phasing, ownership, maintenance, and other related matters will be addressed through the proposed annexation and development agreement and remain subject to subsequent approval by the City Council, as may be necessary.
That list covers how wide the road is, who builds it, who pays and who maintains it. The developer has made some of those commitments in public, but the binding terms are the ones the agreement will set.
A road on the city's plans since 2006
The road matters this much because Fredericksburg has planned for it for a long time but has not funded it. MySA reported in April that the roadway has been part of city plans since 2006. Kris Kneese, the city's Director of Public Works & Utilities, told council that the city had preserved the land for the road but had no money set aside for it, and that building it could require voter approval.
The same MySA report says the city's engineering consultant, Kimley-Horn, found the original route worked best and that alternative routes could affect nearby properties. It also reports that the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the Waldorf Astoria development plan in October 2025 on the condition that the thoroughfare question be settled first.
That question took two tries. According to the Fredericksburg Standard, council denied the development proposal in May because it lacked an alternative route for the thoroughfare. City officials held firm on a version of the planned arterial.
The September route kept the arterial on the map. The open question is what kind of road a private resort will actually pour concrete for, given that the city had no money set aside for it as of April.
Two lanes now, and the question of four later
At the Sept. 29 meeting, the development team committed to building a two-lane thoroughfare, the Standard reported. Council asked whether the raised portion would be wide enough for the city to expand the road to four lanes later. An attorney for Lantana said that could be handled in development negotiations.
Two other commitments came up that night. Consulting engineer Kevin Sprague said the roadway would be built to FEMA standards, 1 foot above the 100-year floodplain. The development team also confirmed that the city would take charge of the roadway after annexation.
As described in public, then, the developer builds the road and the city inherits it. Those are stated intentions until the agreement puts them in writing. Anything about the road's width or construction that the agreement does not secure becomes a city cost later, on a road that had no money set aside as of April.
Public comment at the meeting, as the Standard reported, covered both sides of that trade. Winery owners Greg Davis and Tony Smith welcomed the corporate guests the resort could bring during the Monday-through-Thursday slump. Former Mayor Charlie Kiehne asked what commitments would actually bind the city and Waldorf Astoria. A nearby property owner raised concerns about traffic safety and about filling low areas near the creek.
Why annexation is where the city has leverage
The site sits outside city limits, and MySA's April report noted that this limits Fredericksburg's authority over what gets built there. Officials said a formal annexation request would help them decide whether to change the master plan.
Resolution 2026-05 says the property owner has represented its "present intention" to pursue voluntary annexation. It also says council approved the new route "in reliance upon" that process going forward. Section 6 reserves both parties' rights under Chapter 212 of the Texas Local Government Code "unless and until" a signed annexation and development agreement addresses them.
A second issue has also come into the talks. The council agenda posted for Nov. 3 included a closed executive session, under the economic development section of the Texas Open Meetings Act, on "potential incentives for a development interested in locating in the city at 405 Goehmann Lane."
Here is where each item from Section 4 stands, based on the public record:
| Item left to the agreement | What is on record so far |
|---|---|
| Road width | Developer committed to two lanes; four-lane expansion raised by council, left to negotiations |
| Construction | Developer stated it will build, to 1 foot above the 100-year floodplain |
| Ownership and maintenance | Development team said the city takes charge of the road after annexation |
| Funding | No city money set aside for the road as of April 2026 |
| Incentives | Discussed in executive session on the Nov. 3 agenda |
| Final route and design | Conceptual, "subject to further engineering, design, and refinement" |
The resort the road runs through
The project's scale explains why both sides are spending time on the details. Hilton's announcement describes the brand's first Texas property. Plans include 60 dedicated hotel rooms and suites, 37 multi-bedroom villas in the hotel rental program that add 74 more keys, and 50 private residences. Hilton also lists five food-and-beverage concepts, an 11,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, two pools, sports courts, a Kids Club and a 4,000-square-foot event barn. Some homes back onto Baron's Creek, and the site is less than a mile from downtown.
The opening date has moved. Hilton's original announcement expected the resort to open in 2027. A Sept. 30, 2026 release from the developers gives a planned debut in 2029 and says site work is already underway. The design is by Texas firm Paul Duesing Partners, and the release mentions dining "led by a Michelin-starred chef." Hotel News Resource also reported a 2029 opening in early October.
Mayor Randy Briley asked at the September meeting whether Waldorf Astoria could back out. Developer Robert Radovan answered, "It's a contract. We have a 50-year management agreement with them," the Standard reported.
That contract ties Waldorf Astoria to the developer. The agreement with the city is the one that will spell out the road's width, funding and upkeep.
The dates on the city's calendar
The resolution asks staff to bring a proposed agreement to council within 60 days of adoption, which would be late November. It also lets the City Manager and the property owner agree to more time if needed. The city's future-agenda list, dated Oct. 28 and attached to the Nov. 3 agenda packet, includes these entries:
- Nov. 17 council meeting: "Annexation/Development Agreement related to 405 Goehmann Lane," presented by Development Services Director Cliff Cross. The same meeting lists a Dark Skies presentation and an update on construction of the FBG Racquet Center.
- Nov. 18, 8 a.m.: Coffee with the City Manager in the Cardinal Room.
- Dec. 1 council meeting: fiscal-year budget amendments and a construction contract for the substation remodel project at Marktplatz.
A future-items list is a planning calendar, not a posted agenda. The council portal at fredericksburgtx.portal.civicclerk.com carries the final agendas and packets. When the Goehmann Lane agreement appears there, look for the terms covering road width, funding responsibility, phasing and maintenance. Those terms will shape the Frederick Road Extension for decades after the resort opens.
Big projects near town raise questions for people who own land or homes nearby, and the answers usually come from documents like this one. If you'd like help understanding how a development on the edge of town could matter for a property you own or are considering, Krista Duderstadt is glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll go over the details that apply to your property.
