The developer Journeyman Group and the management company Civitas Senior Living broke ground Sept. 27 on Buda Oaks Assisted Living, an 86-unit residential building at 1200 Cabelas Drive in Buda.

“This area is shown to be underserved so we know it’s going to do well at this location,” Pat Riordan, project manager and developer at Journeyman, told those assembled for the ceremony. “It’s an excellent location in the city of Buda.”

The 65,000-square-foot steel-frame structure will be built on what Riordan said is a comparatively small lot of 2.125 acres. Along with 66 assisted-living units, Buda Oaks will have 20 beds reserved for memory care.

Buda Oaks was originally going to be called Buda House, but the developers felt the name did not fit the project. "We felt that this is a fairly big house,"  Journeyman Group President Sam Kumar said. "We didn't want the name to restrict it." 

Journeyman and Civitas recently broke ground on The Philomena, an assisted-living project in Kyle, but according to the developer, there is still a need for more senior housing in the area.

“When we looked at our demographics in this area, the need came up to be three times as much as what we’re building here,” Kumar said. “We truly believe we are doing a great service for our elderly by building projects like this.”

Construction is expected to be completed by January 2020.

Within a few blocks of Buda Oaks are two apartment complexes—Carrington Oaks and Silverado Crossing—that are also Journeyman Group projects; the company was one of the first to build in the fast-growing area around Cabela’s in Buda.