True Ranch Town Meeting Draws A Crowd

By Bob Ochoa
RoundUp Editor

More than 300 citizens from Wimberley and environs gathered at the community center last Thursday for a lively give and take with county officials over the proposed True Ranch project.

Lying just a few miles west of Wimberley fronting RR2325 and Fischer Store Rd., the proposed 675-acre, 438-home subdivision, has drawn the ire of local residents concerned with the impact the subdivision could have on the region's groundwater supply, traffic and property taxes.

One speaker asked county officials if they were prepared to handle 900 additional vehicles on area roads that the subdivision would bring.

Developer Russell Hinds (Rincon Group) of Austin said his subdivision's effects would be minimized by a phased construction plan lasting up to ten years. True Ranch, he said, was planned to preserve the land's natural resources and special character.

Wimberley Valley Watershed Association president Patrick Cox said he strongly opposed the subdivision because it lies within a critical groundwater recharge area of the Trinity Aquifer that helps maintain the flow of Jacob's Well and Cypress Creek.

Jim McMeans, a leader in a petition drive opposing the development, fired off a volley of concerns. The audience answered with cheers and loud applause. "I'm motivated," he said, "to send a message to irresponsible developers that they will not be accepted in this community."

McMeans said he was angry "over the lack of county control" and "the apparent secrecy with which this project was formulated. I am angry about the creation of a municipal utility district on the premise it would bring surface water to the project and eliminate the need for groundwater, however, the developer has no contract for surface water."

McMeans said elected officials at all levels should know that the Wimberley Valley and surrounding area "want to maintain low density development . . . that respects the Trinity Aquifer which supplies all our needs and recharges our springs, creeks and the Blanco River."

The town hall style meeting was hosted by Pct. 3 County Commissioner Will Conley. He brought along officials of the county's subdivision office and county special counsel Mark Kennedy for an update on the administrative status of the subdivision.

Conley said of the meeting, "I thought we had a mixture of people who wanted to listen and get informed on the issues. We had some who had good comments and suggestions to take back to the negotiating table. Some people just wanted to be heard."

He added, "Nothing can ever completely satisfy 100 percent of the community but we will do the best we can in protecting our enviornment . . . It sounds like the community would support very little right now."

The county, Conley and the developer are working on a development agreement to address community concerns over the proposed development. Any agreement reached must be approved by a vote of the commissioners court. Conley pointed out a development agreement is not required by county subdivision rules. "He (Hinds) has come to the table with us to have these discussions (voluntarily)."

Conley said he will meet with Hinds next week to discuss adding more provisions in the draft development agreement, including one or two ideas taken from citizens' comments.