Located off Lohmans Crossing Road, the 210-unit complex was originally approved in 2014 and is being developed alongside 21 cluster cottages and 39 condo units as part of the PUD; however, the 210 units will be built by Wilson Capital, while the cluster cottages and condo units will be built by Legend Communities, Chief Operating Officer Bill Hayes said. The cottages and condo units will be open to all age groups to rent.
Hayes also said that, while Tuscan Village 2 is technically a separate development, he considers everything that is going to be built the Square at Lohmans. When complete, the housing complex will not be called Tuscan Village and will exist under the Square at Lohmans name.
The original design for Tuscan Village 2 was to be an extension of Tuscan Village 1, which is located across the street from the Square at Lohmans development.
“The concept is over a decade old,” he said. “There was some thought back then that Tuscan Village would jump across the street and be a continuation of an age-restricted community with possible other assisted living [options].”
Council approved a sixth amendment for the Tuscan Village 2 PUD at the Sept. 19 meeting, which stipulated that half of the development’s 210 multifamily apartments be restricted for residents over the age of 55.
While the apartment complex is now being built for older residents, the zoning ordinance allows them to change course if necessary, Hayes said.
“We’ll see what the market does,” he said.
Hayes also told Community Impact that the planning for Tuscan Village 2 changed when Legend Communities saw a market need for workforce housing in Lakeway.
“I’m not under the illusion that anybody that is going to get a job at the school district can for sure afford to live in the Square at Lomans rental units [in Tuscan Village 2], but at least they have a chance,” he said.
During the City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Vance expressed concern over limiting housing options for senior residents.
“We are in a rapidly morphing community,” she said. “We have a ton of seniors that are living in homes that, 10 years from now, as [inflation] catches up with them and their social security is not rising, they may have no choice but to sell, and they will want to stay in their community.”
In an email to Community Impact, Vance said she “firmly believes” it is important for people to be able to age in place and not have to disrupt their lives in a time where life can be filled with difficult choices in regard to health and finances.
Nina Davis, a Lakeway resident who was also at the Sept. 19 meeting, told Community Impact she wanted Tuscan Village 2 to stay in the original age-restricted zoning ordinance it was approved for in 2014.
“Due to the large number of older residents here, Lakeway has in the past and should continue to encourage housing options for that age group,” she said.
Phase 1 on the Square at Lohmans broke ground Nov. 9, and the area will be developed enough to start construction on buildings about one year from now, Hayes said.
“When you look holistically at the Square at Lohmans project overall, it’s got something for everybody,” he said.
