Tag: developments

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Texas Standard Interview with HCA’s Katherine Romans

By Michael MarksFebruary 9, 2024 2:47 pm

There’s a new luxury development coming to the Hill Country. CB Wine Tourism – a Mexican real estate company – purchased 218 acres between Fredericksburg and Johnson City to build homes, a spa, restaurants and retail amid the numerous wineries along Highway 290.

Projects of this kind have become more common in the beautiful, rural area just west of Austin and San Antonio. The development, however, raises major concerns about its future.

Katherine Romans, executive director of the Hill Country Alliance, spoke to the Texas Standard about what’s driving growth in the area. 

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: So for folks who may not be familiar, can you just describe the kind of population growth that the Hill Country has experienced in the past decade or so? 

Katherine Romans: When we think about the things that really define the Hill Country, it both is defined by its natural resources, its stunning scenery, but also its growth. It routinely falls among the fastest growing places in the entire country, especially close to the I-35 corridor, where you have communities like Hays County, Comal County and Kendall County that have been among the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the country for years now. 

Did this accelerate as far as you can tell during the pandemic? 

Absolutely. I think people kind of intuitively felt that acceleration during the pandemic. And it stands to reason, because a lot of people during the pandemic were really looking for connection to nature, looking for space.

The number of transactions of land sales that were happening during and immediately after the pandemic, the cost of land in the Hill Country really accelerated dramatically. We’ve seen a little bit of a leveling off, but we know that the developments that were kind of started in the pandemic are only going to continue to come online. 

So who, if anyone, is trying to manage this explosive growth?

Yeah, it’s a great question. Because a lot of folks would intuitively say we don’t have the the resources to support this level of growth. We are a region that is really defined by drought and has limited surface waters, as well as limited aquifer resources. And so there are a lot of folks concerned about the rate of growth that we’re seeing.

Unfortunately, in the state of Texas, we’re the only state in the country where outside of incorporated municipalities, we really have very few tools to plan for and manage growth. So we are the only state in the country where counties don’t have anything in the way of land use management tools.

And so that means that when development is happening outside of incorporated communities, whether those are urban areas like Austin or San Antonio or more rural communities like Johnson City or Fredericksburg, there’s not a lot that the county commissioners court can do to direct or guide growth in a way that’s beneficial for the communities.

So we’ve done some research into just how much of the growth that we’re seeing in the region is happening in those unincorporated areas, and it turns out that most of the growth that we’re seeing is happening in counties. 

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Who are the sorts of people moving here? Are they people who are able to work remotely? Are they are retirees? Are they folks who want a second home and are out there all the time? All those kinds of people? 

I think it’s a little of all of those kinds of people, for sure: More and more folks who are looking to have their kind of country getaway, especially as the cities of Austin, San Antonio and the I-35 corridor are growing. Folks really want, you know, their weekend retreat in the Hill Country.

I get this sense a lot when I talk to long time landowners, multi-generational Central Texas, families that feel kind of the loss of connection, the loss of community, of knowing your neighbors. With new folks, especially those who aren’t there all the time, it’s just a challenge.

In some places that may not be seeing their permanent population, their census numbers, growing up dramatically, they may still be feeling the impacts of growth, which is the same number of new rooftops and driveways and infrastructure required to support those homes, even if they’re not getting the population growth itself. 

What else gives you optimism when you think about the future of this region and its resources? 

That central fact that folks are called to the Hill Country because of the quality of life that we enjoy here, the flowing rivers and creeks, the rural communities and charming downtowns – I feel like that, you know, intrinsically makes a really strong community of advocates that can speak up when we do see problematic impacts of development.

And so we’ve seen just a huge expansion in the number of grassroots community groups that are working across the region, whether they be dedicated to a specific issue, like the protection of the Llano River or working to raise awareness of the importance of our dark skies and our view of the Milky Way. There’s just a broad diversity of folks who are coming together with a shared interest in the conservation of the Hill Country. That gives me a lot of optimism. 

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Say “Yes!” to Low Impact Developments

When I first heard the phrase “Low Impact Development,” I thought it was referencing a low speed 2-car crash. The way things are these days with plastic bumpers, I really thought the development concerned crumbled bumpers on both cars. Imagine my chagrin when I learned that Low Impact Development has a completely different meaning.

Low Impact Development (LID) is a term to describe a land planning and engineering design approach to manage stormwater runoff as part of green infrastructure. LID emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features to protect water quality. LID practices use or mimic natural processes that result in the infiltration, evapotranspiration or use of stormwater in order to protect water quality and associated aquatic habitat. Even that sounds like a mouthful.

Maybe a better way to approach this is to ask, “What are the practices of LID?” Here are a few:

      • Rain gardens and swales
      • Rainwater harvesting
      • Wetland creation and preservation
      • Use of pervious surfaces
      • Stream setbacks and riparian buffer zones
      • Preservation of tree canopies
      • Green corridor preservation
      • Greenroofs
      • Keeping development densities low

Aha! Now I get it. When you know how water flows across your land, you can make good choices to slow the flow of water so that it can soak into the ground and down to the aquifer.

When you discover a wetland on your property you can take steps to preserve it.

When you stare out the kitchen window planning the new patio, you can choose to forgo a concrete surface for one that will allow water to soak into the earth.

If you are fortunate enough to own land on the river or on a creek, you can allow the river or creekbanks to “go back to nature.”

When you walk the land and count the trees, you plan for ways to keep all of the trees–the tall ones, the small ones and every tree in between. Somehow, you realize that the Texas Persimmon, the Mt. Laurels and the various sumacs are needed as much as the trees.

You dream of turning your roof into a garden but more than anything, you know that subdivision down the road has reduced lot sizes to 1/10th of an acre so that the developer can cram more houses into a small space and it feels like you can do nothing to change the impending crunch.

A Low Impact Development is not about one thing alone but rather about how you approach the use of land.  If you value the land, you will do all we can to preserve it.

You’ll do all all the things that will get you labeled  a “tree hugger.”

You’ll do everything possible to limit runoff, slow the flow and conserve water. You will support stream setbacks and buffer zones along the river and creeks.   

More importantly, you will raise your voice in opposition to tiny lots and high density neighborhoods.

High density developments with no eye to the future are the Developers’ choice but it does not have to be your choice. You can support strengthening of sub-division rules for Gillespie County.

You can boldly encourage and practice water conservation even when it is raining.

You can join the Native Plant Society of Texas and learn how to xeriscape or wildscape your lawns and then do it.

You can vote for candidates who put conservation first.

Maybe Low Impact Developments are a little like a slow speed 2-car crash in the sense  that they are in direct opposition to those who would use up Hill Country resources  with little or no remorse, a clash of values. Where do you stand?

https://pedernalesriveralliance.org/