Jun
4
Austin officials rethink controversial homebuilding rules
Filed Under Residential Real Estate, Residential Development | Leave a Comment
Austin city officials have scaled back a proposed ordinance that would have required all new single-family homes to have features such as wheelchair ramps so they’re more accessible to disabled individuals and the elderly.
The scaled-back ordinance will be presented during a public hearing and considered Thursday by the City Council.
City Council Member Betty Dunkerley, who proposed the ordinance, says costly rules such as requiring builders to install ramps or no-step entrances will be sent back to stakeholders to include in an incentive or bonus program. If such features are installed the city may give builders increased floor-to-area ratio or impervious cover, says Dunkerley.
Stakeholders involved in the process include the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, disability advocacy group ADAPT, the American Institute of Architects, the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities and the city’s building, fire code and electric boards.
Visitability began as a grassroots movement in the late 1980s to change home construction practices so that virtually all homes can be accessible to those who are mobility-impaired.
“This is a growing trend in our country because our population is aging. [Visitability] allows people to age in their homes,” says Dunkerley.
The scaled-back ordinance would require builders to provide …. read the full story in the Austin Business Journal
Jun
4
Commercial - Need land for local equipment yard
Filed Under Commercial Real Estate | Leave a Comment
Have buyers interested interested in buying small commercial/unrestricted property (1-5 acres) for equipment storage along I-35 or within 3 miles east or west between Kyle and New Braunfels. If you’re interested in submitting your property for consideration, please call us at (888) 743-1528 or email us at your convenience.
Jun
2
San Antonio fares well in new defense spending bill
Filed Under Employment, Veterans | Leave a Comment
Federal military installations in South Texas, primarily in the San Antonio area, are slated to receive $14.62 million from the latest Defense Authorization Bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
This is in addition to the $45 million slated for San Antonio’s Fort Sam Houston included in the Emergency Supplemental Bill that was approved by Congress last week.
If the Defense Authorization Bill passes Congress and is signed into law by President Bush, the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at the University of Texas at San Antonio will receive $2 million for its ongoing Dark Screen initiatives. Dark Screen is the name of a series of cyber-security exercises that test local communities’ ability to respond to cyber-terrorist attacks. The term “dark screen” refers to what happens when computers within a network unexpectedly go black.
Other projects include:
$4.39 million for a Live Fire Exercise Shootout at Camp Bullis;
$1.44 million for a planned Student Officer Quarters at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio;
$4.8 million for Fire Resistant Fuels research at the Southwest Research Institute to test a formulation that could save lives and …. read the full story in the San Antonio Business Journal
Apr
4
Tennis Anyone?
Filed Under Lots & Land, Recreation, Current Market Conditions, Residential Development | Leave a Comment
Visit the John Newcombe Estate here
Forty years ago, World No. 1 tennis player John Newcombe decided he needed an American baseto sustain his family life and professional tennis career.
The Australian didn’t want a home on the east or west coasts, but through tennis coach Cliff Mayberry at Trinity University, he was introduced to a piece of property that had been a dude ranch just west of New Braunfels. German was still spoken by old-time New Braunfelsers at that time, a connection not lost on German native Angie Newcombe, as the couple made their American home in Comal County.
Four decades later, The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch and Conference Center is thriving, and a longtime effort to expand the business has just been unveiled. Phase One of the John Newcombe Estate and Country Club was launched to a private party of New Braunfels residents last week, offering individuals who join by the end of April an opportunity to be founder members and the opportunity to apply a joining fee against the cost of a home site.
The country club will feature 16 tennis courts, pro shop, private parks and walking trails, a spa, members’ bar and grill, child-care and swimming facilities. Too small for a golf course, Newk’s longtime head of operations Jeremy Fieldson said a putting green and short game practice area is possibility for part of the four-acre park near the Estate’s entrance off Mission Valley Road.
“In the beginning of the 90s, we looked at … read the fulll story by Gerard MacCrossan in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
Apr
2
School Bond Options For Comal ISD
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On May 10, taxpayers in Comal Independent School District will have the option of voting for a $205.85 million bond issue. Should the bond pass, it will fund land and technology purchases, building expansions, technology upgrades and three new elementary schools for the fast-growing district, which is expanding at a rate of more than 5 percent annually.
School bonds typically span several years’ worth of needs, and should the current bond issue fail in May, CISD could still tread water for about a year, said Superintendent Marc Walker. “It’s each subsequent year that you’re going to have exponentially more problems as you get more and more kids and no place to put them,” he said.
About 1,000 new students arrive annually in the district, and seven schools are projected to exceed capacity by 2010 if more classrooms and other space is not added. New facilities are a necessity, said Walker, who likened school construction to basic water tracts and sewers in a fast-growth city.
Bond 2008 will not raise property tax rates, according to financial adviser Duane Westerman, and it calls only for “bare bones” funding, Walker said.
But should worst come to worst and the bond not pass, he said, portable buildings would be installed and more students added to existing classrooms.
Rezoning after a failed bond might work, Walker added, but it’s tough move considering the district’s widespread, often sparse population.
At nearly 600 square miles, CISD’s size exceeds that of the entire city of San Antonio, “so though you may be able to rezone, it’s not practical because of the number of buses and the cost,” Walker said. While students at full campuses could go to newer, less crowded ones like Canyon Lake High School, he said, transportation would be a … read the full story by Georgia Fisher in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
Apr
1
Proponents of biodiesel have hit the road to Austin to move their headquarters closer to the industry’s biggest fan — Willie Nelson.
The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance has relocated from Paia, Hawaii, to downtown Austin. The organization has hired Jeff Plowman, former president of Austin BioFuels LLC, as executive director.
“Texas is on the front lines of the issues today,” says Plowman, whose appointment was a major reason for moving the group. “By moving to Austin, it’s going to keep us focused and keep us certainly in the eye of the industry.”
Plowman will continue to hold an interest in his company, which will be led by interim president Robert Plenge.
The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance was founded in 2006 and focuses on creating efficient production and use practices.
There are 60 members and board members including actress Daryl Hannah and Annie Nelson, the wife of Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson is an honorary board member. He and his wife have opened biofuel stations in a few states.
The nonprofit www.fuelresponsibly.org is looking for permanent office space in downtown Austin.
The alliance is creating standards for biodiesel to ensure the product bought by consumers is environmentally friendly.
Factors for product certification by the alliance would include … read the full story by Laura Hipp in the Austin Business Journal
Mar
27
Austin 5th Fastest Growing Metro Area in U.S.
Filed Under Residential Real Estate, Residential Development, Commercial Real Estate | Leave a Comment
Austin hasn’t lost its allure.
The city was the only one in Texas to make the list of the 10 fastest-growing U.S. metro areas, ranking fifth, with a population increase of 4.3 percent in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Austin-Round Rock area had the eighth highest numeric population gain, with 65,880 new residents moving into the region in 2007.
Overall, four Texas metropolitan areas saw big numerical population increases last year.
The Dallas-Fort Worth region ranked No. 1 in the list of top 10 U.S. metro areas by overall numeric population growth with an additional 162,250 people from 2006 to 2007.
The Houston metro area ranked fourth on that list, with an additional … read the full article in the Austin Business Journal
Mar
27
Where’s Everyone Going? - Texas
Filed Under Residential Real Estate, Current Market Conditions, Residential Development, Employment | Leave a Comment
DALLAS — Four Texas metropolitan areas were among the biggest population gainers as Americans continued their trend of moving to the Sun Belt in 2006 and 2007, according to Census Bureau estimates to be released Thursday.
Dallas-Fort Worth added more than 162,000 residents between July 2006 and July 2007, more than any other metro area. Three other Texas areas — Houston, Austin and San Antonio — also cracked the top 10.
Atlanta saw the second-largest population jump with just over 151,000 new residents. Phoenix was third with more than 132,000, and was followed by Houston, Riverside, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Austin, Las Vegas and San Antonio.
Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 27 were in the South and 20 were in the West. Two were in the Midwest, one — Fayetteville, Ark. — straddles the South and Midwest and none was in the Northeast.
Detroit lost more than three times as many people as any other metro area — its population declined more than 27,300. Other areas losing more than 5,000 people were Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Ga., Youngstown, Ohio, and Buffalo, N.Y.
Experts credit much of the growth in the South to relatively strong local economies and housing prices that are among the most affordable in the U.S.
“People are running away from unaffordable housing, from the economic slowdown,” said Karl Eschbach, a state demographer in Texas. “I would expect Texas to stay at the top of a slowing game.”
According to figures compiled by Eschbach, 16 percent of Americans who moved to other states between July 2006 and July 2007 came to Texas, which led the nation for the second straight year in that category.
Home prices continue to be a big factor. A report earlier this month by Global Insight found that housing prices in the Dallas area were undervalued by as much as 30 percent.
Ann Sekesan, a pharmacy technician, moved her family from Pennsylvania to suburban Fort Worth last June after seeing spacious homes in Texas for under $200,000 on a television show.
“After we saw that on TV, my husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘Have you ever been to Texas?” Sekesan said. “It’s amazing the size of a … read the full story on FoxNews.com
Mar
26
San Marcos Taps New Economic Development Chief
Filed Under Residential Development, Commercial Real Estate | Leave a Comment
By PHYLLIS SNODGRASS
San Marcos - The San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce has hired Amy Madison, formerly of the City of Schertz and the City of Leon Valley as the new director for Economic Development - San Marcos. The City Council confirmed her appointment at its last meeting.
“We are excited to have Amy join our economic development team to carry on the excellent leadership of our EDSM Board and former Director Kim Moore and Interim Director Stephanie Garcia” said Mayor Susan Narvaiz. “Economic development is not only an extremely high priority of the City Council, but also of our citizens who have designated economic development and job creation as vital goals for the future of our city.”
Garcia, who has served as interim director since November, will pass the baton to Madison in early April.
“We interviewed numerous well qualified candidates from all over the country for this position” said Phyllis Snodgrass, President of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, contract administrator for the Economic Development San Marcos Program. “We were delighted to have such a talented pool of applicants to choose from and extremely pleased to have Amy join our team.”
“Amy’s experience in economic development, her strategic thinking, regional contacts and impressive work ethic made her the most dynamic candidate. We are thrilled to have someone of Amy’s caliber join the … read the full article on Newstreamz.com
Mar
25
New Tube Tax OK’d By Council
Filed Under General, Recreation | Leave a Comment
By Chris Cobb
The Herald-Zeitung
Published March 25, 2008
The New Braunfels City Council took the first step toward re-enacting the river management fee on Monday.
The council passed the first reading of a new ordinance which would charge a user fee — or “tube tax” — for each person renting water recreation equipment, like tubes and kayaks, or using shuttles to get to different locations on the Guadalupe and Comal rivers.
The daily $1.25 fee per-user would be collected by outfitters and remitted to the city each month.
The original fee was devised in 2001 as a way to help finance the city’s law enforcement and cleanup efforts on the rivers, but a lawsuit organized by a group of outfitters had the fee thrown out in September. A district judge ruled that the city had violated its charter when it was enacted and that the fee was actually an invalid occupation tax.
The new ordinance seeks to remedy those legal issues, and according to New Braunfels Mayor Bruce Boyer and City Attorney Alan Wayland, could serve as a starting point toward working with outfitters to find funding options to help foot the city’s cost of maintaining the rivers.
“This ordinance is not meant to be an end-all,” Wayland told council. “This just allows us to proceed with the river season, which is fast approaching us, and allow us to collect revenue to help offset some of the cost of maintaining … read the full story in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
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