Developers looking to expand Rough Hollow

The "fun" is just beginning for Brook, who announced presales beginning for three new neighborhoods in Rough Hollow in mid-March.

West Rim will consist of 78-foot-wide tracts with homes built by Scott Felder and Grand Haven starting at $450,000. The Summit consists of 65-foot-wide tracts with homes built by GH Reserve starting at the upper $500,000s. Lakeside, the last of the three neighborhoods, has 85- to 90-foot-wide tracts with homes built by Drees Custom Homes and Highland Homes that start in the upper $500,000s.

The project also consists of Highland Village, an area residents can use that includes a welcome center, open-air market, event pavilion with a demonstration kitchen, a splash pad and a number of pools.

"We wanted a place where families can come," Brook said. "We will have a kids' pool, a lazy river and an adult pool with a swim-up bar."

In addition, Brook said that plans for a restaurant and a small convenience store are in the works.

Residents currently have one restaurant to visit, the Grill at Rough Hollow, and future residents along West Side Landing may get a shortcut to the restaurant and yacht club.

"We are looking to add a water taxi at West Side Landing to improve access to the yacht club," Brook said.

Builders

Rough Hollow is using nine builders—Coventry Homes, River Oaks Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, Grand Haven Homes, Scott Felder Homes, Village Builders, Drees Custom Homes, Highland Homes and West Peoples—plus a number of custom homebuilders.

The homes range from the upper $200,000s to more than $1 million, and most neighborhoods have model homes available to show different floor plans.

Brook said the developers and builders are just as invested in Rough Hollow as he is.

"It's really a partnership," he said. "We really try to avoid making every home site and every neighborhood look the same," Brook said. "There are at least five different-[looking] homes between similar-[looking] homes."

The diversity of the homes and neighborhoods allows Brook to target different buyer groups, he said.

"We want to diversify the neighborhoods to address the evolving needs of today's homebuyers," Brook said. "You can't just continue to do what you are doing and expect to grow. It's about innovation."

Adding more residents

Lakeway City Manager Steve Jones said although the city receives a population boost with the addition of 1,600 homes—and with it, more tax revenue—it also adds costs to city services. Jones said that the influx of people could increase the local sales tax figures, however.

"[The increase in homes] will also add the need for more services such as police and maintenance," Jones said. "The taxes are set to cover the city's expenses for those things. The large number of people, however, will call for more retail and could be the push H-E-B was waiting for to build a store at Hwy. 71 near Serene Hills."

Jones said that H-E-B was waiting for more homes, and the 1,600 homes to be added in Rough Hollow, along with the development of Serene Hills and Sweetwater subdivisions, could prompt the grocery chain to build.

"The growth is incredible," Jones said. "We haven't seen this kind of activity since 2007."

H-E-B was not available for comment at press time.

Next-generation homes

Part of the innovation Brook refers to is the next-generation home plan being offered by Village Builders. The plan contains what is commonly referred to as a 'mother-in-law-suite,' an addition to a home that has a full bathroom, kitchen and private access.

"Anything that is trending and makes sense for the long term, we will try to incorporate in our neighborhoods," Brook said.

Brook also said that some of the neighborhoods will be connected with greenbelt trails, allowing quicker access between neighborhoods on foot.

Access

With the number of homes in Rough Hollow expected to multiply sixfold during the next few years, traffic is always a concern. Steiner Ranch, the only project in recent memory to which Brook could compare Rough Hollow, encountered a number of problems with traffic volume and too few entrances.

"Steiner Ranch was the last project of this magnitude," Brook said. "We are hoping that there aren't the same traffic concerns about Rough Hollow, but the difference is there are three ways in and out of Rough Hollow, not just the two like in Steiner."

Jones said that the plan is for the developers to widen Highlands Boulevard to four lanes as building increases. The next section should be complete in about a year, he said, and the plan is ultimately to have four lanes all the way to Bee Creek Road from Lakeway Boulevard.

Additionally, Travis County plans to widen Bee Creek Road to four lanes before the new Lake Travis ISD middle school opens.

"There should be plenty of room for traffic all the way to Hwy. 71," Jones said.