With various townhome and apartment projects underway in cities like Lakeway and Bee Cave, including developments like City Center, The Pearl and The Backyard, larger projects like White Rocks and Travis Club Austin are shaping up in unincorporated parts of the region, offering high-end amenities like golf courses as well as live entertainment, restaurants and shopping.
Developments in the region aim to meet local market demands, which often include integration with nature, privacy, family-centric living and wellness or recreation activities, CEO of Travis Club Leisha Ehlert said.
“[The amenity sweep] coupled with the architecture and what we’re trying to create for the community and [being] privately gated is certainly a step above luxury,” Ehlert said.
The overview
In terms of what residents in the Lake Travis or West Austin region are looking for in homes, Spyglass Realtor and city of Austin Tourism Commissioner Bishop Chappell agreed that common desires include proximity to the outdoors as well as diverse recreational opportunities.
“[The Westlake region’s] proximity to Lake Austin and the Barton Creek Greenbelt makes it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts,” Chappell said. “Homes here are designed to complement this lifestyle, with features like outdoor kitchens, pools and spaces for entertaining.”
Often, residents in the region seek out luxury communities, Chappell said. Some of these communities, closer to Westlake, also provide them with access to high-performing school districts such as Eanes ISD.
Additionally, Chappell said, cities west of Austin often maintain lower taxes than downtown, which is a consideration for many homebuyers.
In order to address all of these desires, new communities like Travis Club Austin and White Rocks are coming to the region. These new developments bring plans to build luxury homes and residential units with access to a host of amenities for those seeking an active, family-centric lifestyle removed from downtown Austin, according to developer representatives.
Travis Club
Travis Club Austin is located on Lake Travis, near Siesta Shores. This 1,500-acre community will offer luxury amenities like a golf course, clubhouse and over 30 miles of trails, developers said. Homes in the community will be fully custom-built, with average lot prices coming in at around $1 million.
The development’s Phase 1 homesites are expected to begin going vertical this fall, Ehlert said, and sales for Phase 2 began in October 2024.
The 18-hole golf course at Travis Club, designed by Beau Welling, broke ground in 2024 and is currently under construction. The golf course is expected to open next spring and a golf house coming later in 2027, Ehlert said.
Other amenities, including the clubhouse and marina, will be rolled out as the community develops, Ehlert said.
Overall, Travis Club will have:
- 700 homes
- 1,500 acres
- 1 club house
- 30+ miles of trails
- 1 community pool
- 18-hole golf course
- 1 marina
White Rocks
A project known as White Rocks has proposed a 70-acre resort on land within the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, featuring 600 residential units with condos and a luxury hotel.
The City Council of Bee Cave passed a resolution March 25 opposing the development due to traffic and environmental pollution concerns. Originally put forward under the name Violet Crown Amphitheater, water and wastewater permitting for the development was previously denied in 2022 due to environmental concerns. Currently, permitting for White Rocks is under review by TCEQ.
White Rocks permitting history
- Feb. 16, 2022: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommends rejecting Violet Crown water and wastewater permit applications
- April 8, 2025: TCEQ holds open meeting to discuss White Rocks application, received in 2024
- Summer 2025: TCEQ to decide on contested case hearing for White Rocks
- Source: TCEQ/Community Impact
Some projects see a greater deal of city involvement, including the city of Lakeway’s upcoming downtown residential and retail development known as City Center.
This development will include three separate projects: The Square at Lohmans, with commercial space and residential units; The Oaks Planned Unit Development Phase 2, bringing an apartment complex and public park; and the Tuscan Village Planned Unit Development, which includes cottages and an apartment complex known as The Jovie.
While some higher-end residences are planned, more affordable options such as W Hayes Ventures’ townhome project will be included at around the $700,000s range, developer Bill Hayes said.
As for the Oaks Phase 2, delays have occurred due to disagreements between the city and developers regarding the construction of Main Street. Though the street was intended to be complete by now, developers estimate that final completion will occur in June 2026.
The Pearl
Developers at The Morgan Group and InTown Homes are developing The Pearl, with a new townhome and apartment complex in Bee Cave.
The final layout for its townhome community was approved by Bee Cave City Council on June 10, including 13 attached townhomes and 55 total residential units.••As for The Pearl’s 322-unit apartment community, certificates of occupancy may be issued for units later in July pending City Council approval of amendments to the project’s development agreement. A project representative said leasing is expected to begin in August.
The Backyard
The Backyard is a proposed multiuse development put forward by developer Chris Milam, which contains a live music venue, offices and a hotel. The project has been in some stage of development since at least 2014, according to previous reporting by •Community Impact•.
Recently, water permitting issues with the Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District, or SWTCGCD, have affected development, Director Rick Scadden said.
“The Backyard originally requested around 3 million gallons per year of water, and this goes back a long time. ... And last year, the groundwater district approved a little over a million gallons of that request,” Scadden said. “The Backyard wasn’t happy with that amount of water [permitted by the SWTCGCD], and there has been some ongoing back and forth about that.”
Developers at The Backyard originally contested the reduced amount issued by SWTCGCD, but have dropped their contestation as of June 12, Scadden said.
No comment was provided by The Backyard’s developers as to what types of permitting or next steps for the development will take place following the dropped permit contestation.
What else?
Outside of these five projects, a host of other local developments are in various stages of progress in the Lake Travis region. One of these includes the upcoming Canyon Ranch Resort. While no residences are included in this development, an all-inclusive resort and spa with health facilities are listed in plans on the business’s website. An estimated opening date has not been provided by representatives of Canyon Ranch.
Crystal Lagoon will also soon open a new project with Ascensions on Lake Travis, offering a 2.1-acre lagoon for swimming and water sports at the resort-style luxury home community.
Other luxury communities in the works include Canyon Club, a new 60-acre project near Lake Travis that will offer a mix of 20 traditional and five 3D-printed homes, with traditional homes starting at $2.6 million. A launch event was held for the community on May 3.
Discussions regarding the West Travis County Public Utility Agency’s water permitting for Mirasol Springs, a 1,400 acre-development featuring dozens of homes, a hotel, research station and two restaurants, concluded in December with the agency issuing an agreement to extend a 3-inch water pipeline to the community.
