Sen. Donna Campbell made the request to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on behalf of concerned residents, including a coalition, Stop Fitzhugh Concert Venue.
The public hearing’s date, time and location have yet to be determined. Once it has been scheduled, notice of the meeting will be published and mailed, a TCEQ spokesperson said.
“[I’ve] met a lot of good people over the years that are like minded and just love the Hill Country setting and the environment and animals,” said Kevin Fleming, a longtime resident of Fitzhugh Road. “Just that whole Hill Country vibe, [we] want to retain that as best we can.”
The background
In November 2022, the TCEQ hosted an initial public hearing in regard to a wastewater permit filed by California-based company Blizexas that would serve a concert venue with up to 5,000 seats, according to the permit.
During the meeting in November, residents expressed their concerns about the venue, and none of the public speakers were in favor of the wastewater permit as presented.
It’s been nine months since the public hearing, and the TCEQ has not made a decision on Blizexas’ wastewater permit application. A coalition of neighbors and its supporters have been advocating for local leaders to take a look at the proposed plans and take action.
Zooming in
Fleming, who didn’t have a chance to attend the meeting last year, said he is looking forward to the opportunity to attend a future meeting.
“I really want to understand the total impact of what they have planned,” Fleming said. “Are they planning future phases that we don't know about? Will they have the ability to add on in the future that we're not aware of right now?”
In addition to the new commercial development’s potential to have its own municipal wastewater service, other residents’ concerns include:
- Noise
- Light pollution
- Traffic and safety
The letter urged Hays County commissioners to obtain a safety audit of the road, have the developer submit a new analysis, hire a third party to review the analysis and hold a public hearing before approving the new analysis. An online petition for the request surpassed 2,000 signatures.
“It's going to be hundreds of additional cars on Fitzhugh Road, which is very narrow, no shoulder, no lights,” Fleming said. “Having people leave a concert after they've been drinking and are hyped up and driving those roads, it's going to be very dangerous.”
What’s next?
The future meeting will include a panel of experts from the TCEQ and Blizexas representatives. A decision won’t be made on the permit during the hearing, which is intended for public comment and questions.
“We plan to develop a world-class and well-run venue near Dripping Springs that is respectful of our neighbors, the land and the Hill Country’s unique character,” said Bill LeClerc, director of real estate developments and investments at Lexor Investments, in a statement to Community Impact in November.
Lexor Investments is the parent company of Blizexas LLC.
The renderings of the venue can be found here. For more information on the coalition, visit www.stopfitzhughconcertvenue.com. For more information on permits submitted by Blizexas, visit www.tceq.texas.gov.
