Fitzhugh Neighbors and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, or GEAA, are hosting a benefit concert May 18 to support the legal fund of Fitzhugh Neighbors as they fight the proposed venue.
The overview
Fitzhugh Neighbors is a grassroots organization that formed to stop the concert venue’s development. The GEAA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the protection of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers.
The benefit will include performances by country music artists Robert Earl Keen, Tony Kamel and Kym Warner.
“However, this event isn't solely about advocacy—it's also about celebrating our community and safeguarding its future,” GEAA Technical Director Mike Clifford said in a news release.
The background
The proposed venue is slated for Fitzhugh Road near the intersection of Crumley Ranch and Trautwein Road, and would serve up to 5,000 people a day, three times a week, with room for 2,000 cars to park.
Neighbors have been voicing concerns about the venue since 2022, citing both safety issues with the location and environmental concerns.
Fitzhugh Road is two-lane road, no shoulders, with multiple low-water crossings. It intersects with RM 12, Hwy. 290 and Hamilton Pool Road.
“We don't have the infrastructure,” Fitzhugh Road resident Steve Warntjes told Community Impact in 2023. “I'm talking about 14 miles of two-lane roads. They're windy; they're unlit. There's no shoulders on any of these roads, and they were just never designed for that much volume.”
There have been two public hearings hosted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding the venue’s wastewater permit. One took place in November 2022 and another in January. An additional community forum was called by Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra on Oct. 2.
Residents said they are worried about how the developer plans to avoid runoff that could pollute local waterways. The TCEQ maintains that the permit will not allow for the applicant to discharge any pollutants into water and that the permit “includes provisions to protect local surface water and groundwater resources."
Clifford said the amount of impervious cover, or features that block rainfall, such as the parking lot, may cause runoff. The impervious cover combined with small fields about half an acre in size within the venue’s lot to irrigate treated sewage could result in runoff that is both stormwater and wastewater, he said.
“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,” Bill LeClerc, director of real estate developments and investments at Lexor Investments, told Community Impact in 2022. Lexor Investments is the parent company of Blizexas LLC, the company behind the proposed concert venue.
What’s next
Organizers are now selling tickets to the benefit for groups of eight and will begin selling general admission tickets at $75 on April 23. The event will take place at 6 p.m. May 18 at the Dripping Springs Ranch Park and Event Center, 1042 Event Center Drive, Dripping Springs. For more information, visit www.fitzhughneighbors.org. For more information on permits submitted by Blizexas, visit www.tceq.texas.gov.
