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Official Website of the City of Horseshoe Bay, Texas | |
PRESS RELEASE – 3-21-06
HEADLINE: Horseshoe Bay Mayor and Council….Moving Forward
The City of HSB held its regular meeting March 21st. We were pleased to have over 75 citizens in attendance. The following are highlights of several of the 14 agenda items.
The Mayor presented Ed Ayers with a Certificate of Appreciation for his outstanding service as Director and President of the Lake LBJ Mud Board. Ed served on the Board for eight years.
The major topic of interest was the Comprehensive Development Plan. It is a required document for all cities. It is the road map for the future. The following points in the CDP introduction could very well be the mission statement for the City:
· Provide a safe city environment
· Enhance the value of the property in the City
· Preserve the lifestyle of the City’s inhabitants
· Facilitate the utilization of undeveloped property in the City and its ETJ
· Administer the City in a manner that minimizes intrusion on its citizens
· Provide the highest level of services to the City’s inhabitants
· Operate the City with maximum efficiency at the lowest possible cost
· Encourage public input
· Administer rules and regulations in a fair and judicial manner
This will not be an easy task. As property owners, we all have a vested interest in preserving our property values and our wonderful lifestyle. The Resort and other developers also have their plans. The skill and leadership of all parties will be challenged to coordinate these plans. We feel the process is progressing.
The Council approved the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). The CDP is the first formal action in a long process to have Ordinances dealing with development issues. A CDP is a plan and only that. It does not have legal effect and must be followed by Ordinances. The main objective of the CDP is a statement of facts and a general plan, but the CDP does not address many matters that will subsequently be decided by the community and the City Council. The CDP will have significant additions and revisions, as these matters are resolved.
The Resort has several properties that they want to develop or redevelop. They are referred to as the HSB Boulevard Corridor Zone, the Cap Rock Zone and the Airport Zone in the CDP. There is an understanding between the Resort and the City Council; nothing will be built in these Zones without City Council approval. The Resort and the City Council envision an extensive public process to explain possible projects and obtain input. Preliminary plans related to the HSB Boulevard Corridor Zone should be available in September or October.
There was substantial discussion between property owners and Council members, but the central point of discussion was the preference of many property owners present that the CDP not encourage the Resort to build more mid-rise buildings and instead expressed their preference that there might be some height restriction (for example, 32 feet) for future construction.
An example of the concern was the following sentence from the CDP: “For planning purposes, it is assumed that development Zone 14, HSB Boulevard Corridor Zone, will be a mixed use of club and resort facilities such as pools, restaurants, meeting rooms and spa, mid-rise multi-family residential buildings, light retail, and both parking lots and structures.” Alderwoman Wines made a motion that the word “mid-rise” be removed from the sentence and other similar places in the CDP. The motion failed for lack of a second.
The Council approved the CDP on a 3-1 vote, with Alderwoman Wines voting “no” and Alderman Bird abstaining. The matter is complex, but generally the Aldermen voting “yes” preferred to allow the Resort and its consultants to develop preliminary plans that they felt to be appropriate. After extensive community involvement related to a specific preliminary plan, the Council would consider the plan.
The Council adopted four ordinances that provide for enforcement of traffic laws by the City’s police on private roads owned by the Horseshoe Bay POA, the Applehead POA and the Applehead Island POA. The ordinances cover over 130 miles of roads in the City that are not behind gates. An ordinance covering Bay Country’s roads was also adopted. The Council anticipates adopting similar ordinances in the future for the remainder of the City’s subdivisions.
The ordinances also adopted State traffic laws for the City, and included a provision allowing use of golf carts on residential roads, but suggested that only licensed drivers may operate golf carts on public roadways. The Council advised they are researching the feasibility of the required drivers license provision and will seek public input prior to final action on the issue. A minimum handicap is not required. The Council indicated that the final version of the golf cart licensing issue will include special provisions for unlicensed drivers at parades and other highly supervised activities.
A draft building permit ordinance was discussed and will be made available on the City’s website. Copies may be picked up at City Hall. The Council would like citizen input. Please send your comments via email through the website or in writing to the City Secretary by April 4th.
The Council passed an ordinance adopting administrative, personnel and financial policies and procedures of Lake LBJ MUD. The Council will review these policies to identify changes needed to reflect the requirements of a city. Alderman Wood and Mayor Lambert will work with the City Attorney and the City General Manager to make recommendations for necessary changes.
Alderman Babcock had an encouraging observation when the Mayor requested comments at the beginning of our meeting, “At last Saturday’s POA meeting,” Jim stated, “there was an upbeat atmosphere created by the Board. They reported accomplishments of the past 12 months and plans for the future. This was in sharp contrast to last year’s meeting which centered around the fear of annexation and other negative issues.” Yes, our community is moving forward. The past twelve months have been good ones.
The Council continues to encourage your input. Contact us by phone, by mail, in person or log on to our website at www.horseshoe-bay-tx.org.
Respectfully submitted
Buddy Schrader
Public Information Officer
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