Construction on the first of thousands of houses in the Travisso neighborhood is underway about 0.8 miles east of Nameless Road on FM 1431 in Leander.

The 2,118-acre site is slated for a master-planned community from the developers of Steiner Ranch. Homebuilders announced in February include Taylor Morrison, Toll Brothers, Drees Custom Homes, Highland Homes and Grand Haven Homes.

"Our focus from the beginning has been on developing a community that offered plenty of amenities, access to highly rated schools, spectacular views of the Hill Country and the very best in homebuilders," Tim Towell, said president of Taylor Morrison's Austin division, in a statement.

Taylor Morrison purchased the tract formerly known as Crystal Falls West from real estate developer The Lookout Group in spring 2013. Plans for Travisso include 2,100–3,173 single-family homesites, a 64-acre mixed-use district and about 16 acres allocated for commercial use, according to planning documents submitted to the city of Leander. The land was annexed in May 2012.

On March 20, Leander City Council approved rezoning the site as a planned-use development. Per requirements established by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, the developer is required to use 100 percent masonry on walls visible from the nearby greenbelt and must hold input meetings with neighboring landowners.

Heath Melton, director of land development at Taylor Morrison, said the buildings in Travisso would have an Italian flair. House prices start in the high $200,000 range and increase to about $700,000.

Travisso could bring the city of Leander $6 million in new annual property tax revenue and between 3,000 and 9,000 more residents contributing to the businesses in the city, Melton said.

In late March, developers announced Travisso will be the first master-planned community in Austin to offer AT&T Gigapower, the company's fiber Internet service.

Additional reporting by Stephen Burnett