Local News

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) – Texas expects to receive $2.25 billion for about 450 highway projects statewide from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act road construction funding.

About 320 of the projects are currently under construction.

These dollars are leveraged with state funds, including about $12 million awarded last month to Central Texas projects, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

Nationwide, the bill signed last year is expected to pump $26.1 billion into the nation’s road infrastructure.

Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the funding yesterday.

AUSTIN (Austin Board of Realtors) – Area home sales in January 2010 were at 884, up 5 percent from the same month in 2009, according to the Multiple Listing Service report by the Austin Board of Realtors.

The median price remained stable in the same period, up 1 percent to $179,250.

“At this point, we can look back and see that January 2009 was the low point of this cycle. With steady improvement throughout 2009 that continued in January 2010, we can see that we’re one year into the recovery in Austin,” said John Horton, chairman of the Austin Board of Realtors.

Throughout 2009, the volume of single-family home sales in Austin improved steadily. In the first half of the year, the gap in year-over-year sales volume closed consistently, reaching levels similar to 2008 during the summer peak, with the exception of a dip in August.

In fall 2009, sales volume began outperforming 2008 and surged in October and November, spurred by the original deadline for the first-time homebuyer tax credit. In December 2009, sales volume returned to a modest increase of 5 percent compared with December 2008, a growth rate that was maintained in January 2010.

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Texas is experiencing its highest residential foreclosure rate since the late '80s. All residential foreclosures are governed by strict statutory rules, and Real Estate Center attorney Judon Fambrough says homeowners in jeopardy should know these rules to protect their rights.

"For example, how many days' notice must the homeowner be given to satisfy the amount in arrears before the entire amount of the unpaid loan may be declared due and owing?" Likewise, Fambrough said, "What are the qualifications, if any, of the person who conducts the foreclosure sale? How many times a year can a foreclosure sale occur, and on which day of the week, and during what hours?"

These and other questions are answered in “A Homeowner’s Rights under Foreclosure," available on the Center's website.

http://www.camplucy.com/story.html

Twenty five years ago, Lucy and Roger Hanks purchased an undeniably beautiful piece of property on Onion Creek in Dripping Springs, Texas. It became a place where their son, Whit Hanks, and his family were able to experience idyllic weekends and cherished holidays. Here, Whit’s father taught granddaughter Louise how to drive—first on the ranch, and then on the country roads nearby. Grandfather and grandson Roger built all sorts of things together—a go-cart, a tree house, and a cable trolley (that ended up in the creek). The grandchildren learned how to hatch a goose egg, dive for rocks, and feed the Longhorn cattle.

When Whit’s now adult son Ian moved to Asia a few years ago, it would lead to an odyssey that, quite unexpectedly, would marry this Texas ranch with French Colonial buildings from Vietnam, and inspire Whit to open up the family’s “Camp Lucy” so others could experience the Hill Country dream.

Upon Ian’s suggestion, Whit visited Asia, including Hanoi in Vietnam. It was here he developed an appreciation for Vietnamese antiques, especially pieces from the French Colonial period. In an era that ran from roughly 1870 to 1950, France colonized Southeast Asia and, ultimately, developed Hanoi as the regional capital. The influence of France, a traditionally Catholic country, led to the conversion of many Vietnamese. After buying several hundred French Colonial figures of Catholic saints and importing them to his Austin antique store, Whit asked his trusted Vietnamese agent, Lai Manh Hung, how it came to be that so many of these actually quite rare antique figures happened to come on the market.

Whit learned that while the Catholic influence ebbed in the wake of the withdrawal of France in the 1950s, today, thanks to new leaders and new foreign investment, the Catholic Church is seeing a resurgence of interest and prosperity in Vietnam. Reinvigorated and refinanced, each village in the Catholic regions now seeks to upgrade their French Colonial-era church with a larger, modern church; when the older churches are sold, the saints are included with the purchase.

In December 2007, Whit and his wife Alison traveled to Vietnam to see some of the churches available for purchase. As a result of that visit, and after a long sea voyage, the first building arrived in America. Carefully disassembled and packed in sea-land containers, all the timbers and tiles had been painstakingly photographed, labeled, and provided with a diagram and video to show how the church would go back together for its new life in Dripping Springs. Along with the arduous task of reassembly, a new bell tower, based on the shape of other churches in Vietnam, was built by hand using stones harvested from the Camp Lucy property.

 About halfway through the restoration of the first chapel, Lai Manh Hung contacted Whit to let him know that another French Colonial church was available. This larger structure, with massive ironwood timbers, would be reborn in Dripping Springs as an open-air pavilion, a tribute to the joy of being outdoors at Camp Lucy. Also around this time, Whit heard rumor that the original 1920s Ludowici tile from the Bexar County Courthouse in downtown San Antonio might be available, as the courthouse was getting a new roof. Whit found the deep, green glaze of these antique tiles evoked an exotic feel and added an energy to the development. Installation of the Ludowici roof tiles is underway and once installation is complete, these will be the crowning glory for the pavilion.

Today, as Camp Lucy prepares to open the gates for weddings and special events - as the Old World-inspired battered brick courtyard is laid and copper gutters hung, catering kitchen rocked and stone arch raised - a dream shared comes closer to reality…

We hope you enjoy the events in our area!

Dec 11-13, Luminations, The Ladybird Wildflower Center, 4801 La Cross Ave, Austin, www.wildflower.org

Dec 11-24, Armadillo Christmas Bazaar (Arts & Crafts Show) 11am to 11pm at the Austin Convention Center, www.armadillobazaar.com

Dec 12 - Dripping Springs Christmas Home Tour, sponsored by the Dripping Springs Community Library, 10am-5pm, visit or call the Library for tickets

Dec 13 - First Annual Mustang Mare-y Christmas Barn Tour, Dripping Springs, benefit for the Mustang Rescue, noon - 5 pm. call 512-894-0105 for information, http://www.texash2oasis.org/

Dec 13-23 - Trail of Lights, Zilker Park, Austin

Dec 15 - Hoiday Concert "Christmas Sing-Along" free!  Families gather to joyfully sing along with the Austin Symphony and chorus 8pm, Austin Long Center, www.austinsymphony.org

Music, food, and great gift items from local artists and retailers!  See the link below for more information. 

Dripping Springs Womens Club

Mr Thompson presented a very informative presentation to the Dripping Springs Women's Club on October 21st.  He has made a presentation in the last three years, giving updates on the local commercial developments, subdivision developments, planned developements, road construction, and so much more!  Dripping Springs is changing, and he is a wonderful resource for the community on the current activity and potential plans for the area. 

Avalon Park affiliate plans $120M project

Orlando Business Journal

A joint venture that includes Avalon Park’s developer is working on plans for a 100-acre, mixed-use project near Austin, Texas.

Avalonpark Texas LP, a partnership between Orlando-based Avalon Park Group Management Inc. and Texas investor Richard Kunz, is seeking planned-development approval from the city of Dripping Springs for the $120 million project, Kunz told Orlando Business Journal. The item has yet to be scheduled for a meeting yet, but Kunz said he expects approval within the next six to nine months.

The plan includes 240 residential units — single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes — 100 apartments, 500,000 square feet of commercial space, and a church, along with about 210 beds divided into an assisted-living facility and nursing home.

The Avalon Park Texas plan is the second phase of the redevelopment of a 245-acre ranch in Dripping Springs, Kunz said. The first phase, which was developed by another firm, includes 55 high-end residential lots on about 105 acres, he said.

Austin Business Journal, September 21, 2009

The Texas economy is predicted to begin a slow, steady recovery in 2010, according to an economic report released Monday.  After a small contraction in 2009, the state’s gross domestic product is expected to increase by 1.7 percent in 2010, aided in part by a surge in home sales, according to economists with BBVA Compass. The GDP of the entire country, by contrast, is predicted to increase by only 0.2 percent next year.

Newstreamz.com - San Marcos, August 20, 2009

By SEAN BATURA
News Reporter

New Hays County development regulations went into effect Tuesday, imposing tougher requirements on some Hays County residents who wish to subdivide their land, install septic tanks and build on floodplains, among other related activities.

The regulations didn’t pass without last-minute consultations between county commissioners and attorneys to be sure the new provisions can stand up to legal challenges.

The new development regulations, three years in the making, were finalized after months of public meetings in which residents debated the economic and environmental merits of the proposed rules.

Commissioners settled on a six-acre minimum lot size for new subdivisions served by individual private water wells and located in the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA), doubling the previous minimum. Water conservation advocates asked commissioners to pass an even larger minimum lot size, while property rights advocates asked the commissioners to at least stay near the previous minimum.

“The problem is you can’t pay as much for the raw land if it’s reduced in terms of the ultimate, salable units,” Dripping Springs resident W.F. Smith said at Tuesday’s commissioners court meeting. “It’s like anything, whether you’re making cookies or cars. If you can’t sell the car for more money than your raw materials cost, your raw materials have to go down. That’s what these rules do, is restrict growth. That’s the goal.”

Before the court approved the development regulations, Smith warned that the Takings Impact Study, a document required by the Private Real Property Preservation Act (PRPPA) and created by consultant Naismith Engineering in December, is flawed because no one associated with the Texas Real Estate Commission or the Texas Appraisal and Licensing Board was hired to examine the new regulations’ effect on the market value of the county.

“Those are the people that are qualified in the State of Texas to offer opinions of value, not engineers,” Smith said.

Smith said a complaint had been filed with the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board over Hays County’s new development regulations. In response, Naismith Engineering consultant Grant Jackson, the county’s consultant on the new regulations, directed the court’s attention to a provision of the PRPPA exempting government actions that are “under the political subdivision’s statutory authority to prevent waste or protect rights of owners of interest in groundwater.” The PRPPA also exempts government actions that are “designed to significantly advance the health and safety purpose.”

However, Smith’s comments prompted commissioners court members to make last-minute consultations with attorneys before finally passing the regulations, despite a document published by the commissioners court less than two weeks ago that claimed the proposed regulations are in accord with state and federal law.

The county has thus far paid $46,345 to Naismith Engineering for work on the development regulations. Jackson told commissioners Tuesday that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulations may require minimum lot sizes higher than six acres in certain instances.

“That really concerns me,” said Hays County Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe (D-San Marcos). “That’s one of the issues that I hope we can work through.”

Ingalsbe had expressed concern during the last few months about the minimum lot size resulting in many properties being priced too high.

“This has been a difficult decision for me,” Ingalsbe said. “I’ve talked about affordability - a big issue for me. But one word continued to pop into my mind: sustainability. I am going to be supportive of the lot size. Is this the answer to the problem? No, not by itself. This has been a struggle in my mind. I don’t come to this decision lightly at all.”

Hays County Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Conley (R-San Marcos), who had long expressed support for a five-acre minimum lot size, called the new regulations “a living document,” with issues that need to be resolved to protect land value and promote operational efficiency.

“I have no doubt we will have some (rules) that are flawed and wrong as we move forward … but it’s an organic document,” said Hays County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton (D-Kyle). “We can adapt.”

Residents from western Hays County in the past few months have appeared before the commissioners court to give accounts of wells gone dry and declining springs, which, they said, are partly the results of too many people pumping water out of the Trinity Aquifer.

“Lot sizing has to do not with business plans, not with other things,” said Driftwood resident Susan Cook at the Aug. 4 commissioners court meeting. “It has to do with aquifer recharge. It has to do with whether or not a piece of land can replenish with rainwater the amount of water that’s going to be pumped out by the family that lives on that property. And that’s the only thing that you should be considering, is aquifer recharge.”

The Trinity Aquifer lies beneath the region of Hays County encompassed by the Hill Country PGMA. Nine counties, including more than half of Hays County, lie within the PGMA. A PGMA is a zone the TCEQ finds is “experiencing, or is expected to experience, within 25 years, critical groundwater problems including shortages of surface water or groundwater, land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawal, and contamination of groundwater supplies.”

Henly resident Jimmy Skipton appeared at the same meeting to support a smaller minimum lot size than was adopted. At another commissioners court meeting in June, Skipton said the government currently allows his 137-acre tract to be subdivided into 1.5-acre lots. He said his family’s welfare may someday depend on them getting the best possible price for their land.

“If I came in here and said, ‘Let’s increase our tax base by 40 percent,’ y’all would say ‘You’re crazy, we’re not doing that,’” Skipton said at the meeting two weeks ago. “(If I said) ‘Let’s go up eight cents per $100, I think we need the money,’ Y’all would say, “We can’t, that’s way too much.’ But you’re sitting here willing to take our lot sizes up four hundred percent, and everyone seems to think that’s OK, (that) it isn’t a tax. But it is on me.”

The six-acre minimum lot size requirement would not apply to subdivisions of five lots or less in which all lots average at least two acres, or to subdivisions that are ten lots or less in which all lots are larger than ten 10 acres. Previous regulations specified minimum lot sizes in the PGMA of 1.5 to two acres for well owners with advanced wastewater systems and two to three acres for owners with conventional systems in the PGMA, depending on whether the land is also in the Edwards Aquifer Contributing Zone. The proposed minimum lot size requirement would also apply to new manufactured home communities.

Conley said last week that he was most comfortable supporting a five-acre minimum lot size, but had told his colleagues he could compromise at 5.6 acres. He said he was most concerned with the “smaller people.”

Said Conley, “We can develop rules all day long that cover large developers and developments - those are easy rules to do. They have professional teams, they have lawyers and engineers and everybody that can work through our rules and make it work for them - within reason, of course. Within reason. But it’s these smaller family-owned, family-oriented (people) that are caught up in a lot of the rules and regulations, that are usually hurt and squeezed the most and can’t work through it.”

Barton (D-Kyle) said last week that he preferred a 5.61-acre minimum lot size.

“Even going to five would be huge,” Barton said last week. “Because currently, up in the western part of the county, it’s a two-acre minimum. We long ago imposed - I led the effort 10 years ago to impose a much higher standard over the Edwards (Aquifer recharge) area in the eastern part of the county, where in similar kinds of lots using wells and septics, we already have a five-acre minimum. And we were the first county in the state to go there. The rules were groundbreaking rules when I led the effort to write - I actually did write much of what was in it, because we didn’t have money for a consultant back in those days.”

An earlier version of the proposed development regulations specified a minimum lot size of 6.5 acres. The governing body of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD), which the state created to manage groundwater production in the Hays portion of the PGMA, supported a nine-acre minimum lot size. HTGCD’s wishes were thwarted when Naismith Engineering recommended 6.5 acres to the commissioners court.

Two HTGCD board members said the calculation resulting in the 6.5-acre figure assumes 75 percent of rain entering the aquifer should be reserved for human use. They said a Texas Water Development Board report by Robert Bluntzer recommends that 10 percent of recharge be reserved for pumping. HTGCD Board Member Andrew Backus (District 3) said Bluntzer recommended minimum lot sizes of 25 acres in the Hill Country.

At around 11:30 p.m. on July 21, after more than five hours of development regulations discussion and public comment at Wimberley City Hall, Ford challenged her colleagues to support a minimum lot size requirement of six acres. With midnight approaching and only 20 people left in the room out of the original 200 or so, commissioners court members were not yet ready to come to a consensus. At the same meeting in Wimberley, Hays County Judge Liz Sumter (D-Wimberley) joined Ford in supporting six acres, though she said her preference was nine acres.

Sumter said last week that the minimum lot will probably be increased in future years to be in accord with the planning efforts of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). In the next year, the TWDB will issue a managed available groundwater number that will set a threshold for the number of water pumping permits issued by the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, which has imposed a moratorium on issuing new permits.

“Existing groundwater supplies — the amount of groundwater that can be produced with current permits and existing infrastructures — are projected to decrease 32 percent between 2010 and 2060, from about 8.5 million acre-feet per year to about 5.8 million acre-feet per year,” states the TWDB’s latest State Water Plan. “Groundwater availability — the amount of water from an aquifer that is available for use as determined by the planning groups — is projected to decrease 22 percent, from 12.7 million acre-feet per year in 2010 to 9.9 million acre-feet per year by 2060.”

Another controversial provision in the new regulations is a requirement for landowners developing property 50 acres or greater, or land with 50 or more dwelling units planned, to allow certain government entities to install and maintain groundwater monitoring wells on the property. Costs associated with the wells will be borne by the government entities that install them.

The federal tax credit for first time home-buyers expires December 1, 2009.  The program allows for a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price of a home up to $80,000 for a maximum benefit of $8000.  The credit is not required to be repaid UNLESS the home is resold within 36 months.  The program is available to any qualifying citizen or resident alien who as not owned a home as a primary residence in the last three years.  Individuals with a modified adjusted gross income of up to $75,000 per year qualify for the full credit.  Couples can qualify for the full credit with an adjusted income of up to $150,000.  Visit www.MyFirstTexasHome.com for more details.  Inventory is up!  Prices are not rising!  Now is a GREAT time to buy!

After many years of collaboration and careful planning, H-E-B and the City of Dripping Springs today announced that the groundbreaking for the city's first major made-to-order grocery store will take place in late fall 2009, with the grand opening in 2010. The new store, conveniently located at the southeast corner of the Highway 290 and Rob Shelton Boulevard intersection, will feature both H-E-B and Central Market products requested by residents of Dripping Springs and the surrounding towns. This H-E-B will create a local destination for unsurpassed freshness, quality, variety and service while keeping H-E-B's pledge to offer everyday low prices.

"H-E-B's new Dripping Springs store incorporates years of research and planning, but most importantly community input and insight. Our future customers helped us create an ideal destination grocery store. After years of hard work, we are thrilled to see our vision on paper become a reality for the community," said Jeff Thomas, senior vice president and general manager, H-E-B Central Texas Region.

With more than 68,000 square feet inside the store, H-E-B will offer the largest meat market in the area, offering USDA prime, organic and natural meats; one of the largest seafood departments in the area with fresh fish deliveries and a wide selection of wild and local catches; a full-service sushi bar made in-store daily; fresh fruits, vegetables and expanded organic offerings with thousands of Organic and Natural products; a full-service bakery, complete with a wide selection of organic and artisan breads baked fresh daily; and an expanded cheese selection filled with specialty and imported cheeses. The new store will also see an increased offering of Central Market products to meet the special requests made by future customers.

Non-food highlights include the addition of more than 9,100 square feet of leasable retail space, a pharmacy with a convenient two-lane drive thru; a gas station including diesel, which was added by special request for future customers; a car wash; a full line of cosmetics; and a floral department featuring quality fresh flowers and plants.

Convenience and service will supplement the new store with a large assortment of Central Market products and H-E-B brand products. All components will work together to create an exciting, sensory and engaging shopping experience unique to the H-E-B in Dripping Springs.

The new H-E-B store is part of a development project along with Barshop & Oles Company and Home Depot. Home Depot, Chase Bank, and Broadway Bank are open, with two remaining sites available.

The new store will be staffed with approximately 300 knowledgeable Partners (employees) that make the shopping experience an outstanding one for customers. Produce experts will provide fresh samples of fruits and vegetables to educate and delight shoppers, while seafood experts, master bakers, artisan cake decorators and certified, trained meat experts will be on-hand to teach customers.

"We're thrilled that H-E-B will become a vital part of Dripping Springs and can't wait to celebrate the grand opening next year," said Dripping Springs Mayor Todd Purcell.

The Neal Spelce Austin Letter reports that the U-Haul cost for moving from California to Texas is $3000!  If you want to move to California, this cost is only $900.   Texas was the last state to enter the recession, and many folks from other states are job hunting in our state.  A report by Kevin D. Williamson states that by one estimate, 70% of new jobs created in the United States in 2008 were created in Texas.  One aspect of Texas's economic edge is the UT system.  Other universities across the country, including California, are furloughing professors, and cutting class offerings.

Austin Business Journal, June 3, 2006

The region added about 3,400 jobs between April 2008 and April 2009, making it the only one of the nation's 38 largest cities to post a job gain, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. This is the third consecutive month that Austin has outperformed all of the other U.S. cities with labor forces of 750,000 or more. The unemployment rate for April stood at 5.8 percent.

The 0.4 percent increase in job totals is modest, but still a better showing than cities such as Portland (down 4.7 percent) and Raleigh, N.C. (down 3.3 percent).

Jobs in goods producing industries in the Austin area dropped by 500 jobs in April, a slowdown from the rapid pace of recent losses, according to an analysis of the data from the Capital Area Council of Governments. Retail, hotel, and restaurant jobs are all up from this time last year. And professional and business service sector employment is back to its all-time high last seen in October 2008.

But another key sector for the region, technology, isn't doing quite as well. Computer, semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing is still falling. Jobs in the semiconductor segment fell to 15,700 jobs, back to spring 2006 totals.

As Texas cities go, Austin's 5.8 percent unemployment rate was one of the healthiest. Dallas-Fort Worth stood at 6.6 percent in April and Houston at 6.3 percent. Only San Antonio's rate was lower than Austin's at 5.4 percent. Smaller metro areas including McAllen, Brownsville and Beaumount all had rates above 8 percent.

Visit local artists this weekend in Dripping Springs!

Artists of Dripping Springs.pdf

By SEAN BATURA
News Reporter - Newstreamz.com - San Marcos

Perhaps the most famous restaurant in Hays County could soon lie in the middle of a new development to be supported by a two-cent sales tax increase.

The Hays County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to support state legislation that would create a municipal management district (MMD) encompassing 540 acres of ancestral land belonging to Scott Roberts, owner of the famed Salt Lick Restaurant.

House Bill 4825, sponsored by State Representative Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs), would empower the proposed MMD to provide its residents with parks, lakes, gardens, fire protection and emergency medical supplemental services, recreational facilities, sports facilities, open spaces, fountains, plazas, alternative energy facilities, solid waste management, a convention center, and a wastewater treatment and disposal facility, among the dozens of construction improvements and services.

Robert’s proposed 540-acre development would include 100 residential units averaging an acre each, specialty shops, a winery, 50 acres of vineyards and over 200 acres of common open space for hiking and biking. The Salt Like Restaurant lies within the development.

“For me, I have a natural caution about special districts, but the last one and this one are proofs that there are good exceptions out there that are really appropriate times and places for these districts to be used,” Hays County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton said.

Ken Manning, a consultant for Roberts, addressed the court Tuesday, describing the proposed Driftwood Economic Development MMD.

“We’re proud of the some of the things that we’re proposing,” Ken Manning, a consultant for Roberts, told commissioners. “But, up front, it’s going to cost a little more money to make sure that things are successful … In order to do that, we need a revenue stream that we’re confident will be there in draft review. So we’re proposing a two cent sales tax on commercial activity out there, including The Salt Lick, so you’ll have a revenue stream from day one. We’re proposing an ad valorum tax that would be limited to $0.15 per $100.”

Sumter asked Manning if the two cent sales tax could stack with the state and local taxes, bringing the total to 10.25 cents, to which he replied in the affirmative.

The proposed legislation would prohibit Driftwood MMD from using eminent domain, issuing bonds, borrowing money or imposing property taxes without voter approval. The district would be governed by five directors serving staggered four-year terms.

The initial directors would consist of Silver Garza, Scott Roberts, Curtis Wilson, Ken Manning and Michelle Fischer. The proposed legislation would enable the owner or owners of at least 40 percent of the assessed value of property in the district to submit a petition to the commissioners court requesting an election of the board. Driftwood MMD’s board would only impose a tax on residential property in the district if the revenue requirements of the district would not be satisfied by the other imposed taxes.

“(Roberts) is doing things above and beyond what we normally see under a development, even to the point of moving oak trees, transplanting oak trees so they stay on the property,” said Hays County Precinct 4 Commissioner Karen Ford (D-Dripping Springs), who represents residents in the proposed district.

Manning said after the commissioners court meeting that the developer will require every house and every commercial building to capture the first two inches of runoff from roofs in a cistern.

“Over the next 48 hours, we would pump that cistern dry and inject that water back into the Trinity Aquifer,” Manning said. “(By doing so) we’ll offset the impact of pumping groundwater to irrigate the vineyards. So, hopefully, that will net out to be a break even kind of deal.”  The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires an 80 percent reduction in total suspended solids for stormwater management.  “Except, we don’t think that’s good enough,” Manning said. “We committed to 90 percent and have all our plans approved in that regard.”

After the commissioners court meeting, Manning said the developer would achieve the 90 percent reduction by enabling overland water flow across streets, installing drainage buffers and constructing stormwater detention ponds. Manning said three such ponds are in the works - one in center of the largest vineyard, one near the residential lots and one for the purpose of capturing runoff from the specialty retail shops. He said surface area of the ponds would total about two acres.

Manning said he is aware that refraining from using groundwater to replenish stormwater management ponds has been a “consistent message” relayed from Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) board members, who are concerned about water waste due to evaporation from stormwater management ponds. Manning said that in times of drought, the developer would use LCRA-supplied water to replenish the ponds.

“We would have design guidelines that everyone has to comply with,” Manning said. “When you buy a lot, hire and architect or builder, then you’ve got to bring a plan in that gets reviewed by a design review committee. That’s really the land planner and the owner — the developer — (who would) control that process. So you have to get what you want to do with your lot approved with this committee.”  The design review committee’s members would be appointed by the developer.  Manning said the commercial section of the proposed development would require the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, which, he said, would not utilize direct discharge into any nearby creeks.   “We just don’t think (direct) discharge in the aquifer recharge zone is a responsible thing to do,” Manning said.

Roberts’ family first arrived in the Driftwood area in the 1860s.

“You’ve got people who have been on the land for generations and they know it’s ultimately going to be developed,” Manning said. “But they want to see it develop in a way that they’re going to be proud of, as opposed to, ‘How am I going to maximize how much money I make off of this?’ So you have a different set of motivations when you’re dealing with people who have a personal — Scott grew up on this land. He’d just as soon (see) it be a park. But that’s probably not realistic. But you really have a different mindset when you’re dealing with a property owner who has a personal connection with the property.”

Hays County Judge Liz Sumter’s office has issued a disaster declaration due to the severe drought that county officials say has had a major economic impact on the county’s agriculture.

The declaration is the first step in the process to request assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Like much of the state, we’re in a severe drought situation that shows no sign of dissipating soon and our agricultural producers are facing a difficult economic situation because of it,” Sumter said. “This declaration paves the way for Governor (Rick Perry’s) Office to declare Hays County an agricultural disaster area and request aid for agricultural producers from the USDA in the form of low-interest loans.”

Bastrop County declared a similar drought emergency in February. Over the weekend, a major wildfire broke out in that county destroying 1,200 acres, including nearly two-dozen homes and several businesses.

Hays County, just south of Austin, has received less than half the average rainfall it normally gets during the 14 months from January 2008 and March 2009, the declaration said.

Jeff Turner, Hays County’s emergency management coordinator, said the county has seen a 100 percent loss in small grain like oats and wheat. Ranchers have also been forced to sell livestock because of a shortage of hay.

Like many Central Texas counties, Hays also has an outdoor burn ban prohibiting all outdoor fires not in lidded containers.

WASHINGTON (Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) – President Obama earlier this week signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which contains provisions intended to help the housing market and create jobs that benefit the environment.

Among the housing provisions:

• An $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers who purchase a principal residence between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment.
• Reinstatement of last year's 2008 loan limits for FHA, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae loans.
• $2 billion in additional funding for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which provides grants to states and localities to address problems that can be created when whole neighborhoods are decimated by foreclosures.

The law also includes $7.22 billion for projects and programs that will protect and promote both green jobs and a healthier environment. These environmental areas include:

• $4 billion to assist communities with water quality and wastewater infrastructure needs and $2 billion for drinking water infrastructure needs. A portion of the funding will be targeted toward green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency, and environmentally innovative projects.
• $100 million for competitive grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.

OBAMA UNVEILS PLAN TO HELP HOMEOWNERS

WASHINGTON (Texas Association of Realtors) – The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, introduced this week by President Obama, is intended to help seven million to nine million families avoid foreclosure by restructuring or refinancing their mortgages.

The plan includes three main elements:

• Government-sponsored enterprise refinancing for responsible homeowners suffering from
  falling home prices;
• Three-year $75 billion initiative to reduce monthly payments for three million to four million at-risk
  homeowners; and
• Support for low mortgage rates through strengthening confidence in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Are you planning to divide up the acreage of your property in Hays County?  Below are the current fees in Hays County for plat submissions.  Be sure and check with your local city for proper procedures, survey, and zoning requirements.

APPENDIX I

REVIEW FEE: Payable to “Hays County Treasurer”

FILING FEES: (Payable to “Hays County Clerk” at time of recording)

WALNUT CREEK, CA (PMI Group) – Amidst a nation of MSAs hosting tumbling home prices, the Lone Star State’s own metropolitan areas have held tight to their home values, with only five of 26 MSAs seeing price declines in a 12-month period ending in September.

According to PMI Group’s Winter 2009 Risk Index, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio were the least likely large MSAs in the country during third quarter 2008 to experience lower home prices in the next two years. Each had a risk index of less than one.

Austin ranked as the 12th least likely metropolitan area to experience home price depreciation, with a 3.1 risk index, up from 2.3 in second quarter 2008.

Overall, Texas MSAs averaged a 2.8 percent increase in home prices between September 2007 and the same month in 2008.

Four of Texas’ MSAs claimed spots in PMI Group’s list of top ten annual house price appreciation rates. Sherman-Denison had an appreciation rate of 8.56; Victoria, 8.34; Odessa, 7.98; and College Station–Bryan, 6.71.

PMI’s U.S. Market Risk Index uses economic, housing and mortgage market factors (including home price appreciation, employment, affordability, excess housing supply, interest rates and foreclosure activity) to determine the probability of lower home prices in the future.

For the full study, including more rankings for Texas MSAs, see PMI Group’s Risk Index.

The market has been very interesting this year!  As the year draws to a close, we like to look back and see how the local market is behaving.  Believe it or not, Texas has been lucky.  Although inventory listings have increased, prices have held steady, and homes are selling. 

Below is a Link to recent historical information for the local market.

Dripping Springs 2008

Wimberley 2008

The city of Dripping Springs recently published the following information in "The Gateway", the community newsletter dated Fall 2008:

The City of Dripping Springs wastewater service is now available to Water Supply Corporation customers who have submitted applications and $100 deposit for indication of interest to connect.  City officials are currently soliciting bids from plumbers to begin the process.  Work is anticipated to begin as early as January 2009.  To date, more than 100 customers have been connected.  In order for the physical connection to occur, much coordination will be needed between the City and the property owners.  In order to move forward in the process, property owners must understand the requirements for physical connection, provide the security deposit and signed Commercial or Residential Billing Agreement, and also provide a singed "Right of Entry Agreement" form to allow City's representatives and contractors to go onto the service address to work on the wastewater connection.  For questions, call Rebeca Rubio, Utilities Coordinator at Dripping Springs City Hall, 512-858-4725.

Daily Real Estate News, Realtor Magazine, November 17, 2008

Housing Predictor, which provides housing forecasts in 250 markets, has identified 10 markets where the regional economies are healthy and have strong potential for increasing prosperity.  These housing markets have bucked the national trend in 2008 and avoided the subprime crisis, the consultants say.  Whatever the future holds for the housing market as a whole, Housing Predictor forecasts that these cities will continue to see steady, dependable growth. 

Top cities and the percentage sales prices have increased so far in 2008:

• Biloxi, Miss., 4.9%
• Salem, Ore., 4.7%
• Bismarck, N.D., 4.6%
• Spokane, Wash., 4.4%
• Yakima, Wash., 4.1%
• Austin, Texas, 4.0%
• Grand Junction, Colo., 4.0%
• Fargo, N.D., 4.0%
• Mobile, Ala., 3.9%
• Albuquerque, N.M., 3.5%

Mark Dotzour spoke at the Austin Board of Realtors Realty Round-up held in Austin on October 22nd.  Here are a few highlights from his speech:

• Dr. Dotzour began with an indictment of local news media, and a recent headline in Austin that projected a decline in real estate values. Dotzour said that the “evidence” is merely speculation on the part of two analysts, and that the headline should have read “Two guys speculate that home prices could possibly drop sometime in the future.” He cited Austin MLS statistics that show that prices have historically remained on a slow and steady increase for people willing to hold onto property at least 3-5 years, and concluded that anyone who tells a buyer with the desire and means to purchase property to wait is doing them a great disservice.
• Regarding inventory of homes for sales in Austin, Dotzour said we’re holding at 6-6.5 months, which he said is the point where we consider a market “balanced” between the interests of buyer and seller. According to Dotzour, there is no time in the last 18 years when home values did not rise overall in Austin.
• He said there will continue to be a lot of homes sold in Texas, where we still have positive job growth, and a population that is expected to grow 13-million by the year 2030. 
• Dotzour said we should react positively to national and local news that building permits are down. This means that we’re adjusting the inventory to meet demand, which will help prices stabilize.
• On the national economic front, Dotzour said there are several “shoes” that have to drop on the banking community before we hit bottom, including the full picture of the effects of the sub-prime lending debacle, defaults on credit cards and auto loans, and the real extent of credit default swaps. This last issue is just now starting to emerge into the light, and could dwarf the problems created by sub-prime loans.
• Dotzour was not in favor of many of the economic stimulus proposals in Washington, and suggested that more useful elements would be a tax credit for home purchases, and a 0% capital gains tax for investors who will hold property for 5 years.
• He projected some favorable economic shifts in April or May, as corporate profits begin to recover, oil prices stabilize, foreclosures pass their peak and the political uncertainty is resolved.

Just as the nation is struggling to avoid a potential financial crisis, new figures released on Thursday show just how well the economy was performing in recent years.

The gross domestic product—or total value of goods and services produced by labor and property—grew in 308 of 363 U.S. metropolitan areas between 2005 and 2006, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

In Austin, the GDP hit $71 billion in 2006, up 11 percent from $64 billion in 2005, figures show. Private industry made up most of those totals, accounting for $56 billion of GDP in 2005 and $61 billion in 2006. The local economy ranks 39th in the nation.

Strong growth in financial industries—specifically real estate and securities, commodity contracts, and investments—accounted for 39 percent of U.S. metropolitan area GDP growth in 2006. That fact from two years ago may be a bit sobering today as it’s those same industries that have been most affected by the current economic downturn. In terms of dollars, the finance, insurance and real estate sectors accounted for roughly one out of every five dollars of total GDP in U.S. metro areas .

Brian Kelsey, director of Community & Economic Development for the Capital Area Council of Governments, says the Austin area is less exposed to the financial crisis because those same industries only make up about 15 percent of the area's GDP, compared to 40 percent or more in cities like New York.

"That said, the combined value of those sectors in Austin is around $10 billion, so we would be foolish to think that we are going to escape this mess unscathed," says Kelsey.

Here is the local update on the opening of several new businesses from the Dripping Springs Planning Commission.  Pioneer Bank is nearing completion in the heart of Dripping Springs.    The Best Western Hotel Site plan has been approved.  It will have 58 rooms and will be located East of Dripping Springs.  The new Rob Shelton Blvd. will have a grand opening and be open to access the Sportsplex Facilities on September 29th.  A stop light is scheduled to be added to the intersection of Rob Shelton & Hwy 290 West in the future.    Java Sea Traders has started construction on a new building in Dripping Springs.  The high school and middle school have begun construction for the "campus swap" in the future.   The new shops at the Springs is nearly completed.  New businesses  at this retail center will include Great Clips, AT&T, LK Nails, Koi Lantern Restaurant, and Quizno's Restaurant.  Nearby, McDonalds should be completed and open before the end of the year.  Flores Mexican Restaurant should also be open soon.  Walgreens is scheduled to be open by February, 2009. 

As you can see, Dripping Springs continues to grow and adjust to the new opportunities in the are.  We welcome you to the Gateway of the Hill Country! 

LCRA is exploring the possibility of creating a park in Blanco County and has entered into a conditional contract to purchase land there.

The 222-acre tract is known as Rainbow Trout Farm and has frontage on U.S. Highway 281 and the Pedernales River in Blanco County and Johnson City. It is near the Blanco County Fairgrounds.

A 90-day due diligence period has begun, during which LCRA staff is evaluating the land’s suitability for a park that will serve Blanco County residents and the region. Purchase of the land is contingent on approval by LCRA’s Board of Directors. A vote could come in September or October. The Board, through the approval of LCRA’s Business Plan and Capital Expenditures Plan for FY 2009 in June, has directed staff to pursue the acquisition of land for an LCRA park in Blanco County.

If the land is purchased, a master planning process would begin. Public input would be sought to help determine the types of outdoor recreation facilities and activities citizens would like to see in their county. The park would help meet community needs for additional opportunities to enjoy the out of doors.

“A new park would be wonderful for the community and certainly would create more opportunities for all the citizens of Blanco County to enjoy the out of doors,” said Blanco County Judge Bill Guthrie. “We look forward to working with LCRA on such a possibility.”

The land is centrally located in Blanco County and is only a 15-minute drive from Blanco. It meets all the basic site criteria established by LCRA for such a project, including accessibility to all citizens of Blanco County and major water frontage. LCRA parks must be located in the Colorado River watershed.

Funding for the purchase would come from the LCRA Public Recreation and Conservation Land Acquisition Fund. It was created primarily of monies from the sale of non-essential, non-utility lands owned by LCRA.

LCRA owns 40 parks along the Colorado River Trail that runs 600 river miles from the Texas Hill Country to Matagorda Bay. More than 1 million people have access to the Colorado River and Highland Lakes annually through LCRA’s parks and recreation areas. The LCRA Colorado River Trail Master Plan, developed in 1991, envisions an LCRA park providing access to the river, lakes or a major tributary of the Colorado River in each of LCRA’s 10 statutory counties along the river. The trail was intended to help conserve natural resources and provide recreational opportunities in the region. Currently, Blanco County does not have an LCRA park.

The Dripping Springs News Dispatch reported that the city has contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc, of Ormond Beach, Florida, for its "CodeRED" high speed telephone emergency notification services.  The CodeRED system gives city officials the ability to deliver pre-recorded emergency telephone notification /information messages to targeted areas or the entire city at a rate of as many as 60,000 calls per hour.  However, the system is only as good as the telephone database supporting them.  Individuals and businesses have the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system's telephone database.  Below is the link to the City of Dripping Springs which has the link to CodeRED to enter your information, or you can call city hall at 512-858-4725 to give your information over the phone if you do not have internet access.

http://www.cityofdrippingsprings.com/