Hays County Commissioners approved the creation of a North La Cima Public Improvement District (PID) after weeks of discussion and input from various stakeholders.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell emphasized the county’s responsibility in holding La Cima accountable going forward, reassuring Country Estates residents their concerns will “continually be addressed.”
The land parcel, which spans 684.476 acres, represents only a fraction of the 2,400 acre master-planned La Cima community at the intersection of Wonder World Drive and Ranch Road 12.
The estimated cost of establishing a North and South PID, a 320 acre region, is $100 million.
At a previous Commission meeting, Hays County Commissioners passed a resolution 4-1 creating a La Cima South PID but chose to delay a vote on the North PID over concerns raised by citizens and nearby property owners about potential impacts to the Edwards Aquifer.
Following the vote, La Cima held a two-hour meeting with the San Marcos River Foundation and Country Estates residents to discuss the safeguards they plan to implement to conserve San Marcos’ most precious natural resource.
La Cima representative Eric Willis assured Commissioners that La Cima would include in the financing agreement restrictions for 200 acres of land from development and an 100-foot buffer zone between residents who back up to the property line between La Cima and Country Estates.
“I expect that we have some things that we can bring to the table that can even further protect neighbors and the aquifer,” Shell added.
TAX LEVIED FOR PARKS BOND Commissioners also authorized the levy of taxes for the issuance of a $25 million bond during last week’s meeting.
The $25 million figure represents the final round of voter-approved $75 million bond funding for improving approximately 15 parks, trails and open spaces over the next 10 years in Hays County, according to the Hays County website.
Examples of park improvements include creating access to public facilities and access to trails, parks, and open spaces, recreational opportunities, habitat protection, and flood mitigation.
Projects of Tier One status, recommended by the Parks Open Spaces Advisory Commission, are considered the highest priority for Hays County. They include Sentinel Peak Park and Preserve, San Marcos River Recharge Lands, Purgatory Creek Clean Water Preserve, and Cape Road Fishing Pond.
Cape’s Pond Park is one of the furthest along projects in Precinct 1, said Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe, adding that the county is in negotiations with an engineering firm to assist with development, community outreach, and scheduling public meetings for the project.
FM 150 AND RR 12 Hays County Commissioners voted 4-0 in executive session to push back hearing dates set by the Right of Way Council for parcels associated with the Ranch Road 12 and 150 intersection project.
Commissioners also requested that the Council perform an additional analysis to determine the necessity of the project.
FM 150 to RR 12 improvements are listed as part of the 2016 Hays County Road Bonds Program and include provisions for a new roundabout to improve the flow of traffic at the intersection of 150 and Ranch Road 12 The decision was made after several public commenters came forward with concerns that the proposed roundabout would threaten an existing city project to create employment opportunities for small businesses.
“We literally have residents in this room that have no representation in this,” said Eric Howard, owner of Howard Ranch located one-anda- half miles south of the city of Dripping Springs. “This is going to affect their lives — It’s going to cost them thousands of dollars; it’s going to take away a trail system, it’s going to take away private utilities; it’s going to impact them in a very harmful way, now and going forward.”
