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A Hill Country Victory – Developer agrees to scale back
San Geronimo Valley Alliance ("SGVA") is pleased to announce that a settlement agreement has been finalized between SGVA and the developer of the proposed Hills of Castle Rock development located ten miles northwest of Helotes.
SGVA is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rural ambience and environmental integrity of the San Geronimo Valley area which includes portions of northwest Bexar County, northeast Medina County and southeastern Bandera County. For more than three years SGVA, under the leadership of President Randy Johnson, has been working to oppose the initial Hills of Castle Rock development proposal which called for a high density development in a sensitive rural area within the contributing zone of the Edwards Aquifer. The initial plans for the 1766 acre development proposed by the developer, BP Real Estate Investments, Ltd. and its affiliate BP 1766 San Antonio, Ltd., included proposals for the construction of 3,500 homes, an elementary school, a fourteen story hotel, commercial development, the withdrawal of 1724 acre-feet of water per year from the Trinity Aquifer, and a sewage treatment plant that would dump treated sewage effluent into the San Geronimo Creek.
In addition to concerns regarding aesthetics, traffic congestion, leapfrog development, the vulnerability of the Trinity Aquifer to excessive pumping, and the water quality of the San Geronimo Creek and area water wells, SGVA has been concerned about the potential threat posed by the development to the purity of the Edwards Aquifer. Given that the San Geronimo Creek contributes a significant amount of annual recharge to the Edwards Aquifer (Veni, 2004), SGVA felt that it was especially important that the water quality of the San Geronimo Creek be protected from the degradation threatened by this development.
To combat these threats SGVA intervened in proceedings pertaining to this development before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ("TCEQ") and the Medina County Groundwater Conservation District ("MCGCD"). SGVA was joined in the TCEQ case by the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Water System ("SAWS") which also opposed the granting by TCEQ of a wastewater discharge permit to the developer. In addition the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance under the energetic leadership of Annalisa Peace provided invaluable assistance and financial support in carrying this fight forward.
SGVA is delighted that the efforts of all of those who worked for the protection of the San Geronimo Valley and the water resources enjoyed by the residents of the greater metropolitan San Antonio area have finally borne fruit. The settlement agreement, effective as of February 8, includes the following safeguards:
(1) Dismissal with prejudice of developer's application before TCEQ for a wastewater discharge permit and the agreement that no sewage treatment plant will be constructed in connection with the development property;
(2) Development of the property shall be restricted to single-family residences with the exception of a neighborhood amenity center and appurtenances;
(3) The density of the development shall be limited to 550 homes with the average minimum lot size being no less than 3.0 acres and the absolute minimum lot size being no less than 1.1 acres;
(4) The development shall include a minimum of 700 acres of greenspace;
(5) A 40 foot greenspace buffer shall be maintained around the perimeter of the development property;
(6) Impervious cover shall be limited to no more than 15%;
(7) The developer shall amend its application before MCGCD for a water withdrawal permit reducing the requested water allocation from 1724 acre-feet per year to 425 acre-feet per year;
(8) In the event that SAWS extends a water line to the development property, the MCGCD water withdrawal application or permit shall be amended to reduce the permitted water allocation to 25 acre-feet per year.
(9) The sale or transfer of groundwater from the development property is prohibited.
(10) Various architectural requirements for homes constructed on the development property have been agreed upon including the requirement that external lighting will utilize dark sky lighting fixtures.
A copy of the full settlement agreement and pertinent exhibits may be accessed at the following online link: www.aquiferalliance.org.
SGVA is deeply grateful for the able assistance it received from its attorneys in reaching this outcome: Eric Allmon, Rick Lowerre and David Frederick of the Austin law firm of Lowerre, Frederick, Perales, Allmon & Rockwell and Douglas McNeel of the San Antonio law firm of Barton, East & Caldwell, LLP. SGVA also owes a special debt of gratitude to all of its members and supporters for their contributions to this result and to Annalisa Peace and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, who have worked tirelessly for the protection of the Edwards Aquifer.
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Read more Hill Country news
Upcoming Events
September
September 1 in Wichita Falls - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
September 2 in San Marcos - Texas Wildlife Association Landowner Workshop and Membership Reception - Details
September 9 in Austin - Combined Protect Late Travis Association (PLTA) and Lake Travis Community Coalition (LTCC) meeting, open to the public - Details
September 10 in Austin - INNOVATE OR STAGNATE: Could New Approaches to Infrastructure Transform Our Region? - Envision Central Texas Regional Forum III - Details
September 11 - 21st Annual Frio River Trash Bash - Details
September 17 in San Antonio - Texas Riparian Association 2010 Annual Meeting - Details
September 17 in San Antonio - Edwards Aquifer Authority workshop on Karst Aquifers - Details
September 17 in New Braunfels - Austin-San Antonio Growth Summit - Details
September 21 in San Antonio - Saving Family Lands Seminar - Land conservation, tax planning and financial strategies for landowners and their advisors - Registration deadline: September 13 - Details
September 23 in San Antonio - TCEQ Townhall Meeting - details
September 25 in Brenham - 2nd Annual South Central Texas Water Conservation Conference - Details
September 25 in Helotes - Riparian Zone Workshop: San Geronimo Creek - Details
September 26 in Helotes - Riparian Zone Workshop: Helotes Creek - Details
September 26 in Driftwood - Wimberley Valley Watershed Association annual Hill Country Water Celebration - Details
September 27 in San Antonio - Riparian Zone Workshop: San Antonio River - Details
October
October 4 in Lockhart - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 5 in Swinney Switch - - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 6 in Camp Wood - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 6-9 in San Antonio - 2010 American Planning Association Texas Conference - Details
October 7 in Tarpley - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 8 in Barksdale - Riparian Landowners' Workshop - Details
October 8 in Kerrville - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
October 9 in Dripping Springs - Hays County Rainwater Revival - All day event celebrating and learning about Rainwater Harvesting and Water Conservation - Details
October 11-12 in San Antonio - Texas Innovative Water 2010 - Details
October 13 in Cleburn - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
October 13-15 in San Antonio - Texas Water Conservation Association Fall Meeting - Registration information and a full agenda should be available on the http://www.twca.org/TWCA website by mid-August.
October 22 in Driftwood - Hill Country Conservancy's 4th Annual Hill Country Nights - Details
October 27 in Lubbock - Transmission Line Seminar Hosted by Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association - Details
October 27-30 in Austin - National Preservation Conference - Details
The Hill Country is an idea Texans share.
The Hill Country Alliance connects people and place as active stewards of a regional heritage worth sharing and sustaining for future generations.
"The Mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together an ever-expanding alliance of groups throughout a multi-county region of Central Texas with the long-term objective of preserving open spaces, water supply, water quality and the unigue character of the Texas Hill Country."
