By RICH KEITH, Four Points News
Thompson Realty has submitted a proposal to develop 131 homes on 211 acres called McCormick Ranch at the southeast corner of Quinlan Park Road and Selma Hughes Park Road. The exclusive development has 2,600 feet of frontage on Lake Austin.
Residents within 500 feet of the proposed development on Lake Austin received a notice of public hearing for Dec. 17. But the meeting is postponed until Jan. 7; only four out of seven council members were in attendance tonight.
The notice states the City of Austin has received an application for the 211-acre subdivision McCormick Ranch, located at the end of the Steiner Ranch peninsula. At Tuesday’s meeting, the city Zoning and Platting Commission was expected to reconsider the application, which has run into several issues with the city.
Four Points residents and the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association were expected to attend the hearing tonight. They want the city to account for traffic, safety and services.
“We have poor emergency egress options from Steiner,” said SRNA president Brian Thompto. “And our infrastructure for roads and schools are overloaded already.”
Leander ISD officials also planned to attend.
Richardson-based Thompson Realty states: “This is the last available undeveloped large parcel of land on Lake Austin.”
Aerial photo by Thompson Realty.
McCormick Ranch details
The McCormick Ranch proposal consists of several phases located on two legal tracts comprising of 211.6 acres.
Richardson-based Thompson Realty states: “This is the last available undeveloped large parcel of land on Lake Austin.”
The proposed development will consist of 131 single-family lots, 11 greenbelt lots, three private street/PUE lots and one cemetery lot according to preliminary documents filed with the city.
Primarily within the limited purpose jurisdiction of the City of Austin, McCormick Ranch has a portion adjacent to Lake Austin which is located within the full purpose jurisdiction of the city.
The project abuts the Steiner Ranch Lake Club to the west, and continues eastward along the lake downstream. Though not part of the Steiner Ranch residential development, which is owned by developer Taylor-Morrison, McCormick Ranch is subject to the Steiner Ranch Development Agreement filed with Travis County.
Phase 1 of the project consists of 21 single-family lots, 17 greenbelt lots and one private street/PUE lot comprising approximately 41 acres while Phase 2 includes plans for 84 single-family lots, four greenbelt lots and one private street/PUE lot comprising approximately 55 acres.
The proposed impervious cover for the entire 211 acre development does not exceed 25 percent as allowed by ordinance. Therefore runoff water quality controls will not be required, according to the summary letter by the project engineer Texas Engineering Solutions LLC.
According to city records, Steiner Ranch developer Taylor-Morrison funded some of the engineering studies for McCormick Ranch. Adib Khoury said that Taylor-Morrison may have an interest in a portion of the development of McCormick Ranch.
The recently released Leander ISD demographer’s report included a count of homes in McCormick Ranch, assuming that ultimately the project’s application will be approved by the city. Elementary school students residing there will attend River Ridge Elementary. The homes are zoned for Canyon Ridge Middle School and Vandegrift High School.
McCormick seeking approvals
On Nov. 21, the developers received a list of changes and corrections in a letter from the City of Austin planning department. This back and forth is common in development projects in Austin.
Mia Sanchez with Avalar Realty in Steiner Ranch used to live in River Ridge, the housing area a little further down the peninsula from the proposed site. Sanchez had received previous notices and she indicated the developers desire to re-zone some of the land, and re-plat to less than 0.99 acre per lot.
Sanchez said the developer’s plans have been declined twice by the planning department and they are still seeking approval. “They now want to rezone it to have more houses, with smaller lots,” Sanchez said.
McCormick being marketed
Calls to developer Thompson Realty were not returned by presstime. But local realtors are already marketing McCormick Ranch in advance of its application being approved by the city. Turnquist Partners Ben Philips in a video announcement said that Phase 1 has 19 home sites ranging from one to three acres and starting at $450,000 for the land.
Philips says there are five lakefront properties ranging from 155 feet to over 300 feet of Lake Austin frontage. Across the lake is Balcones Canyonlands Preserve land, which will not be subject to development, adding to the privacy often sought by affluent buyers.
Privacy tends to drive up prices, realty sites indicate. One lot in McCormick Ranch is two acres with a boat slip and 160 feet of water frontage and is priced at $2.49M.
The largest custom lot is 118 acres with 1,900 feet of Lake Austin shoreline and is priced at $24M. It is one lot among several large lots set aside by the developer and which are separate from Phase 1 and Phase 2.