By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
The Steiner Ranch Lake Club located at 12300 River Bend on Lake Austin is undergoing improvements.
The Steiner Ranch Master Association board voted to go ahead with the half million dollar project in April, said Christina Morales, Steiner Ranch Master Association board member.
Steiner Ranch was advised to make the improvements. The Austin Police Department advised “we needed to secure our property to protect us as we are liable for anything that happens on that property. No matter how many signs we put up,” Morales said.
In addition to safety, the project will improve drainage and aesthetics.
When construction is finished around July 20th, the Lake Club will feature secure fencing, RFID (Radio-frequency identification) vehicular gates, directory code access for guest parking for event reservations at the pavilion, and improved signage.
“The layout works with the land to provide features with the least amount of intervention possible,” according to the SRMA documents.
For several years, SRMA has explored the possibility of paved parking, additional security measures and ways to improve the Lake Club property. In addition to being openly accessible, unsupervised access has led to degradation of the land in areas where vehicles have been allowed to pass over and through, according to research compiled by SRMA.
In April 2021, the SRMA board approved spending $494,929 from the enhancement funds for the Lake Club improvements which covers grading, gravel, fencing, vehicular gates, security cameras and lighting, Morales shared.
The purpose of the new site improvements are to:
- Limit access of the property to residents,
- Improve the appearance of the property, especially along River Bend Road,
- Provide unobtrusive lighting for security and aesthetics,
- Regrade and correct areas of poor drainage and recover with landscaped areas, turf or gravel to provide more resilient, usable space.
The Lake Club will have a decorative fence with stucco or masonry posts and steel infill. There will be sliding vehicular gates for each of the three flat areas of the property.
The site will feature low-impact accent lighting along the exterior perimeter of the fence. New lighting will be minimal and point downward to illuminate only the needed areas, and not to disturb nearby neighbors, according to SRMA documents.
Regarding landscaping, exposed/eroded soil is being replaced with gravel or new grass. The area will be graded to prevent standing water and promote proper drainage. Also native plantings will be used, which require less long-term maintenance.
Construction will include gently-sloped pathways down from the successive portion of the land to the pavilion and with access out to the boat ramp.
New signage will reinforce the brand of the Steiner community while also being modern, clean and simple, SRMA documents state.
The design features being used for the Lake Club have “a high-end look and feel, with a design appropriate to the overall aesthetic of the community but also fresh, and that will age gracefully,” SRMA documents reveal.
Currently the Lake Club parking lot is closed during construction and parking is very limited until the project is complete by the end of June.