Austin Real Estate Advice

177-acre housing development planned near Circle C

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:24:47 -0600

By Farzad Mashhood
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

City and county officials have given the go-ahead on a preliminary plan for a 177-acre residential development near the intersection of MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) and Texas 45 Southwest about two years after a controversial mixed-use project at the same site fell apart as developers sought City Council approval.

The Greyrock Ridge development, formerly known as Wildflower Commons, will be built near Circle C Ranch in an environmentally sensitive area that is partly within Austin's city limits. Environmental groups oppose the project's construction over the recharge zone of the Barton Springs portion of Edwards Aquifer and say it will create traffic problems on the southern end of MoPac.

Representatives for the 386-house subdivision's developer, Hanna MaGee LP No. 2, or the land's owners, Wildflower Commons I LP, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday gave the project's transportation and engineering requests unanimous approval, including a waiver to have just one entrance from an external street — MoPac, just north of the development.

Commissioner Karen Huber, whose precinct includes the planned development, said she is concerned that only one entrance could pose problems in the case of a wildfire. County staff approved the waiver, and by law, commissioners could not reject it, Huber said.

The county approval comes nearly three months after the city's Zoning and Platting Commission approved environmental and subdivision requests.

"The single-family plan is better than the giant mixed-use plan that had been proposed," said Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance, referring to the Wildflower Commons plan, which included a large retail store, condominiums and townhomes. "All those people are going to have to drive everywhere they go, though, because there's nothing else they connect to."
Bunch said he is also concerned that polluted runoff will harm the water quality of the aquifer and Barton Springs.

The development, however, will not be held under restrictions typically required of builders over the aquifer's recharge zone, said Don Perryman, a senior planner with the city who handled the Greyrock Ridge design.

In this instance, Perryman said, the city defers to the so-called Bradley agreement, a settlement struck years ago between the city and developer Gary Bradley that is compliant with the Save Our Springs ordinance that guides land use in the area around the proposed development.
The Bradley agreement allows development to occur in denser clusters than otherwise would be permitted.

Perryman said about 15 percent of the development will be covered by rooftops, roads and other surfaces that don't allow rainfall to penetrate into the ground.

According to the preliminary plans, about 58 percent of the development will be home lots, each between 6,500 and 16,844 square feet; 31 percent will be open space; and the remainder will be roadways.

The development is largely surrounded by land that has been set aside for conservation. Just west of the proposed site, Standard Pacific Homes is building nearly 200 homes at Avaña.

PRICE REDUCED! Motivated Sellers for Lake Travis Waterfront!

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:32:50 -0600

www.18007GreggBluff.com

Located in the small town of Jonestown, Texas, between Cedar Park and Lago Vista...known as the North Shore of Lake Travis. This peaceful waterfront retreat is nestled in the Hill Country and surrounded by plenty of wooded terrain. Featuring 1.73 acres, the property is long and thin, nearly 1000 feet deep and terminates with 125 feet of Lake Travis Shoreline. Amazing lake views from the large cedar deck never get old to look at, and add an element of serenity to the property. The neighborhood is very quiet, and road traffic is almost absent.

The original structure was built in 1984 and consisted of 1300 square feet. The current owners purchased the home and renovated it to include an additional 1000 SQFT, remodeled kitchen, bathrooms, living areas, and more. The deck was rebuilt to include more outdoor space, and trees were cleared to maximize the lake views! The front yard was revamped and a sprinkler system installed. Beautiful stone retaining walls and patio accents were professionally completed to give a grand entrance to the lake house.

Perfect property for multiple family use, private lake get-away, or of course a full-time residence to take advantage of the growing Lago Vista ISD. With so much land, additions are easy! Its ready to move-in now, but if expansion is the idea...come take a look and see the amazing possibilities at this Lake Oasis!

Economic IMpact Report on Lake Travis BY: Community Impact

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:05:00 -0500

Interesting Report: An 114-page study estimates that the man-made Lake Travis contributes $207.1 million annually in state and local revenue, which includes real estate, sales, hotel occupancies and mixed beverage taxes within the study boundaries based on analysis from 2006–10.

READ MORE HERE

New 4-Acre Residential Complex Coming @ Lady Bird Lake

Wed, 5 Oct 2011 19:14:02 -0500

By Andrea Leptinsky - Community Impact News

Texas-based developer BOKA Powell announced Oct. 4 the creation of RiverView, a 4-acre mixed-use development on South Lamar Boulevard, directly south of Lady Bird Lake.

The project, slated to open in spring 2013, will include 280,000 square feet of space and 302 apartments. Four buildings ranging in size from five to 11 stories in height will make up the complex.

"Projects like RiverView are part of a growing trend regionally and nationally—the expansion of high density living outside of downtown," said Eric Van Hyfte, project manager at BOKA Powell. "This development could have taken almost 80 acres in a typical single family 'tract style' model, but accomplishes the same density on a 4-acre site."

RiverView construction will also be mindful of its environment; BOKA Powell will add improvements to the adjacent Hike and Bike Trail and public access to the soon-to-come Boardwalk Trail. The project is also working toward a LEED Silver rating and includes green efforts such as water-saving plumbing fixtures, local and recycled materials and preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles.
"We went to great lengths to protect the Lady Bird Lake watershed by placing all parking in an underground garage and covering it with an unusually deep roof garden system that mixes plantings, filtration media, and pervious hardscape elements," said Nathan Wilcox, project designer at BOKA Powell.

BOKA Powell is the developer behind other large-scale residential projects in Austin, including The W Residences, Cole Apartments and Barton Place Condominiums.

Pulte adds 700-plus new homes in Austin

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:53:49 -0500

by Cody Lyon - Austin Business Journal

National homebuilder Pulte Group Inc. is opening two developments this weekend that together will add more than 700 new single-family homes to the Austin housing market. The developments include the 376-home Preston Village in North Austin and the 329-home Cold Springs development in Leander. Homes at Preston Village start in the $170,000s, while prices at Cold Springs start in the $160,000s.

The developments are the first of several planned for the Austin area by Pulte Homes, including a Pflugerville community called Pearson Place at Avery Ranch and another in South Austin called The Hollow at Slaughter Creek. Generally, they take three to five years to build, according to Pulte.
Pulte is kicking off the openings with house tours Sept. 10. Preston Village will hold its grand opening from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., while Cold Springs will hold its opening tours from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Scott Eckley, vice president of sales for Pulte Homes in Austin, attributed the bullish local investment to the Capital City’s low unemployment and growing population.

“The fundamentals in Austin are very good,” he said.