Seven years after the city’s comprehensive plan identified the lack of off-site sanitary sewer service as a major development constraint, Combine still appears to be operating under essentially the same low-density growth model.
The 2019 Comprehensive Plan made the connection unusually clear. At the time, Combine had no off-site sanitary sewer service available, and homes generally depended on on-site sewage facilities, such as septic or aerobic systems.
The plan tied that infrastructure reality directly to residential density, calling for no more than one dwelling unit per acre unless a development could provide off-site sanitary sewer treatment or another sewer system capable of supporting greater density.
A review of current city regulations, utility records, and development documents through October 2026 shows that Combine has modernized parts of its zoning and land-development rules, but there is no indication that a citywide municipal sewer network has replaced the on-site wastewater model.
That means sewer infrastructure remains one of the most important physical limitations on denser development in Combine. It is not, however, the only reason the city remains different from fast-growing neighbors such as Crandall.
The 2019 Plan Drew a Direct Line
Combine’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan described the city as primarily residential and agricultural, with relatively little commercial development.
Water service was provided by Combine Water Supply Corporation, but wastewater was a different matter. The plan stated that on-site sanitary sewerage facilities were regulated and inspected by the county where the property was located and that no off-site sanitary sewer service was available in the city.
The implications appeared again in the plan’s housing and future land-use sections.
The city established a goal of limiting single-family residential development to one home for every acre of gross land unless a development provided an off-site sanitary sewer system capable of supporting greater density.
The housing section was even more direct. It noted that one-acre residential lots were common, that one acre was generally needed for an on-site wastewater facility, and that the city’s zoning regulations also required a one-acre residential minimum.
In other words, Combine’s large-lot development pattern was not merely an aesthetic preference. Wastewater infrastructure was built into the equation.
The One-Acre Standard Remains
One of the clearest signs that the basic development model has not changed is Combine’s current R-1 residential zoning.
The City Council approved another round of zoning and land-development amendments in April 2026 through Ordinance 2026-002. Despite those changes, the current R-1 Single-Family Residential District still requires a minimum lot area of one net acre, or 43,560 square feet of usable land.
The ordinance also requires substantial setbacks and regulates lot configuration, further limiting the number of homes that can be placed on a tract.
That matters because the economics of suburban development depend heavily on lot yield.
A developer purchasing 100 acres in a city allowing quarter-acre lots could potentially create several hundred homes before accounting for streets, drainage, open space, and other infrastructure.
In Combine, a one-net-acre requirement means the same property begins with a theoretical maximum of roughly 100 residential lots before land is lost to roads, drainage, utility easements, detention, and other requirements.
Actual yield would therefore be lower.
That fundamental difference helps explain why Combine has not developed like areas surrounding U.S. Highway 175.
Combine Still Has Water Infrastructure
It is important to distinguish sewer service from water service.
Combine Water Supply Corporation remains an active water utility serving the area. Public Utility Commission records identify the corporation as holding Certificate of Convenience and Necessity No. 10814 to provide water service in portions of Dallas and Kaufman counties.
The corporation continues operating in 2026 and publishes current water rates for customers.
New subdivisions also face city requirements regarding water infrastructure. Combine’s development regulations require new subdivisions to provide water service and generally call for minimum six-inch water lines, subject to Combine Water Supply Corporation and state requirements.
So the city is not without utility infrastructure. The gap is wastewater collection and treatment.
On-Site Wastewater Still Matters
Combine’s municipal code continues to contain extensive provisions for on-site sewerage facilities.
Those regulations address septic tanks, aerobic treatment systems, soil conditions, effluent disposal, maintenance, and other requirements associated with properties that are not connected to a centralized sanitary sewer network.
The code also recognizes that developers in areas remote from organized sewage collection systems must consider wastewater disposal when establishing lot sizes and layouts.
That is a major development consideration.
A conventional suburban neighborhood with hundreds of relatively small lots generally cannot function under the same wastewater model as scattered homes on one-acre properties. Higher density creates larger wastewater volumes and leaves less land available for individual treatment and disposal systems.
Commercial development can face similar questions.
Restaurants, retail centers, offices, schools, entertainment facilities, and other businesses may generate wastewater volumes substantially different from a single residence.
Depending on the use, handling that wastewater without conventional sewer service can require larger sites, engineered systems, additional approvals, or substantially greater development costs.
For some businesses, that can affect whether a project is financially practical.
No Evidence of a Citywide Sewer Conversion
A review of publicly available city records, current ordinances, Combine Water Supply Corporation information, state utility records, and recent development actions did not identify an operating citywide sanitary sewer system in Combine or a publicly adopted project that would convert the entire city to centralized sewer service.
That is an important distinction.
A future developer could potentially pursue a private or project-specific wastewater solution, and regional utility arrangements are possible under Texas law.
The 2019 plan itself anticipated that possibility by allowing higher residential density where adequate off-site sewer treatment could be provided.
But a development-specific solution is very different from having municipal sewer lines already available along major corridors.
Where centralized sewer infrastructure already exists, a developer may be able to extend lines to a project and pay connection and impact costs.
Where no nearby system exists, the developer may instead face the much larger question of who builds, owns, operates, and pays for the wastewater infrastructure.
Sewer Is Not the Only Constraint
It would be too simplistic to say that Combine would immediately become a high-density suburb if sewer lines appeared tomorrow.
The city has made repeated policy decisions supporting low-density development.
Combine’s comprehensive plan describes preservation of community character as a goal. Its future land-use policies favor predominantly single-family housing and call for higher-intensity development to be separated from lower-density neighborhoods.
The city has also continued regulating subdivisions, lot dimensions, setbacks, streets, drainage, trees, zoning, and development agreements.
Those policies matter independently of wastewater.
Even with centralized sewer service, the City Council could choose to retain one-acre zoning.
Conversely, if city leaders eventually wanted denser development, simply changing the zoning ordinance would not solve the infrastructure problem. Adequate wastewater treatment capacity would still have to exist.
That makes land-use policy and sewer infrastructure two separate but closely connected limitations.
Commercial Growth Faces a Different Equation
The sewer question may ultimately become even more important for commercial development than for residential construction.
Combine’s 2019 plan specifically called for expanding and diversifying the city’s commercial and sales-tax base. It encouraged retail development where traffic volumes and accessibility made sense and urged the city to identify desirable businesses.
Those goals remain economically significant because commercial property and sales taxes can help broaden a city’s revenue base.
Yet commercial users can be especially infrastructure-dependent.
A small office, shop, or low-water-use business might operate successfully with an approved on-site wastewater system.
A high-volume restaurant, grocery operation, hotel, medical facility, large retail development, or dense mixed-use project could present a much more difficult wastewater problem.
The result is that Combine can continue adding businesses without municipal sewer, but the universe of practical projects may be narrower.
Growth Is Still Possible
Combine does not have to build a conventional citywide sewer system simply to grow.
Large-lot homes can continue being developed where on-site wastewater systems meet regulatory requirements. Businesses compatible with available utility capacity can still open.
Landowners can subdivide property under existing standards, and specialized wastewater systems may make some larger projects possible.
The more important question is what kind of growth Combine wants.
If the city intends to remain primarily a community of one-acre homes, open land, and relatively limited commercial development, the existing wastewater model can continue supporting that vision.
If Combine eventually wants subdivisions with significantly smaller lots, apartments, major retail centers, hotels, dense mixed-use development, or other urban-scale projects, centralized wastewater infrastructure would become increasingly important.
Seven years after the Comprehensive Plan identified the issue, that fundamental relationship has not disappeared.
Combine can grow without a citywide sewer system.
But the absence of centralized wastewater service continues to help determine how densely it can grow, which projects are practical, and how different Combine remains from the rapidly developing communities around it.
