Lago Vista Welcomes 'The Falls'...

Lago Vista Development Planned for 510 Homes

Construction is expected to start within six months on The Falls at Lake Travis, a master-planned waterfront community that will eventually grow to 510 homes and townhomes.

WY Atlantis, a Dallas-based mixed-use development company, bought 315 acres in the Lago Vista area for the project. Homes are expected to range in price from the $300,000's to more than $1 million.

WY Atlantis recently bought land for two other residential master-planned communities in Fort Worth and Houston.

WY Atlantis is owned by Wyatt Henderson and Allen Jones, co-founders of Marlin Atlantis; Dallas-based Westmount Realty Capital LLC; and The Yucaipa Companies LLC, a Los Angeles private equity investment firm.

American Statesman Staff - Saturday, September 23, 2006

Marina Causing Waves!

UPROAR OVER PROPOSED NEW MARINA!

For those of you who may not have heard, there is a huge uproar about a proposed new marina. Here are some of the nitty gritty details…

The LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) received a facility permit application in August from Harbor Ventures, Inc. The $53,299 permit is seeking construction of a marina off the bank of Graveyard Point at the end of Hurst Creek Road. This is in the extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of the City of Lakeway, not in the city limits, which means Lakeway is very limited in what they can do to oppose it. If approved, in its first phase, the marina would cover 401 square feet of water with 262 slips along with a 131 car parking lot and two boat ramps – one at the end of Hurst Creek Road and the other at the end of Graveyard Point. The project would include floating septic tanks to hold sewage, public restrooms, two above ground fuel storage tanks with three fuel dispensers, a marine service station and ship’s store, according to a press release from Brooks Hollow HOA. Phase II is slated to be a floating yacht club and another 50 slips with parking ultimately for 250 cars.

Opponents say that two 10,000 gallon steel fuel storage tanks will rise roughly 35 feet into the air, disrupting views and disturbing habitat, adding that gas tanks could prove vulnerable during floods.

“While the application states ‘all tank openings shall be above the design flood elevation,’ the submitted drawings show the tanks at a height of 715 mls, seven feet lower than FEMA’s required flood plain elevation of 722 mls,” the release stated. (That’s also a full 34 feet higher than a full Lake Travis at 681 mls)

Opponents of the marina have voiced concerns about road and water traffic, as well as toxic hazards, noise and light pollution, and water quality degradation among its concerns. Other concerns include increased run off from the parking lot, as well as the preservation of the archeological site of Lohman’s Farm.

The LCRA is holding a public hearing on the matter Oct. 3rd from 6-7 p.m. at Vintage Villas, Sunset Room, 4209 Eck Lane.

Source: Excerpts from September 14th article in The Lake Travis View by Charles McClure, Editor

Travis County F.E.M.A. Map Information

The Travis County F.E.M.A. maps will not become final for a while. They are in a 90-day appeal/protest period that ends in September. Then any appeals/protests will have to be resolved before the maps are determined final. The preliminary maps are available at http://www.tcrfc.org/tcfmp/travis.shtml. In the second paragraph there is a link to the PDF versions of the maps as well as a City of Austin GIS viewer. The current maps are available at www.msc.fema.gov. Even though the elevation at Lake Travis is still 716', many communities are advising their citizens to consider the risks demonstrated in the preliminary maps and acknowledge the 722' BFE.

Now is the time for anyone abutting Lake Travis in zone "X" or in zone "AE" to get their flood insurance policies in place. Rates are nominal and you can get up to $250,000 insurance on single family residences. Once the new maps go into effect, homes not having flood insurance in place will be subject to new rates. Typically the rates average $1,000 for every foot you are in the floodplain. I know this is probably the last thing on your mind while we’re in the middle of a drought, but this is very important for everyone to know!