Austin Skyscraper Forum

[Boris]

Developers plan Wimberley resort
Project that includes homes and conference center raises environmental concerns.
By Shonda Novak

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF



Thursday, October 12, 2006

Two Austin developers plan to break ground early next year on a $25 million master-planned community next to a Wimberley nature preserve, setting the stage for a debate about the environmental effects of their project.

Developers Vince Wood and Rob Haug plan to build RiverRock Resort Residences & Spa on a 17-acre tract next to Jacob's Well, a historic artesian spring that forms the headwaters of Cypress Creek, which flows through Wimberley and into the Blanco River.

The resort, with 65 luxury homes and condominiums, plus a lodge with a spa and a conference center, would be the first such development in Wimberley, about 45 miles southwest of Austin.

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Wood said he also has been involved in development in the Vail Valley in Colorado. Wood said RiverRock will combine elements of a Colorado lodge and a Texas Hill Country resort, with rustic wood beams and stone fireplaces.

"We're kind of a unique project in that we will have the lodge and spa and resort and conference center as well as individually owned residences," Wood said. The plans call for 45 two- or three-bedroom homes with casitas and 20 condominiums. Pre-construction pricing starts at $144,500 for a one-bedroom condo with 850 square feet and $399,500 for a three-bedroom home with a casita.

The first buyers could move in during late 2007 or early 2008.

Developers are talking to boutique hoteliers to manage the lodge, which will have 34 rooms and 2,500 square feet of meetings and event space.


http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/realestate/10/12/12resort.html