Bee Cave is planning to celebrate its 50th birthday in a big way.
Although the event is not until 2037, the city is charting its future by reviewing the its updated draft comprehensive plan—Our Bee Cave 2037—with a Bee Cave City Council vote to adopt the document set for Nov. 22.
How we got here
The updated draft plan—the culmination of 16 months of input from residents, business owners, a citizens advisory committee, consultants and city staff—was presented to council and the city’s planning and zoning board Oct. 3. The board will review the final draft Nov. 15, one week before its potential final approval.
Our Bee Cave 2037 is an update to the city’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan, completed at a time when Bee Cave’s population was just under 4,000 residents. In 2013, the population climbed to more than 5,000 citizens when the city established home rule, allowing its council to annex areas from Bee Cave’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, or property adjacent to the city limits that does not have city services or tax requirements, into its borders.
The plan update provides a guide for the city to follow for future development and redevelopment—a roadmap for its zoning, land use and infrastructure in the decades to come.
The Plan
Our Bee Cave 2037 establishes five geographic regions to guide development, including West Gateway, the West 71 Corridor, the Hamilton Pool Corridor, the Recreation and Entertainment District, and the Central Business District. Within each region, the plan establishes compliance requirements for builders and landowners so each land’s uses are consistent. Plans for the city’s thoroughfares, parks, trails, housing, economic development, and water and wastewater programs are also included.
Vision Statement
Following the city’s first community forum for Our Bee Cave 2037 in June 2015, the city’s consultants for the comprehensive plan update created a vision statement that provides an overall view of what the community wants to look like in 20 years.
According to its vision statement, in the future, Bee Cave will have:
a balance of residential and commercial land uses;
a unique design tailored to the area’s nature and culture;
an expanded web of parks, trails, recreational facilities and open space;
quality, livable suburban and semi-rural settings; and
a safe and efficient road network and trail system.
Bee Cave’s Our Bee Cave 2037 states the current city has:
population and housing growth occurring at rapid pace;
residential neighborhoods that are isolated and not well-connected; and
a compact, central town center that includes its main government services.
Glossary to Know
Future land-use categories: defines what type of development, infrastructure and zoning can take place within a given area
Neighborhoods: includes rural (generally single-family detached homes on 1-plus-acre lots, i.e. Spanish Oaks, Bee Cave West), suburban (low-density housing, i.e. Uplands, Lake Pointe, Falconhead) and urban (smaller lots, detached and attached homes or condominiums, i.e. Ladera, Paseo at Bee Cave Apartments)
Corridors: includes rural (low-density, open space, i.e. Hamilton Pool Road), suburban (employment uses including offices, banks, grocery stores) and urban (city’s core, i.e. parts of West Hwy. 71 and RR 620)
Town Center: central, mixed-use business, government, retail and entertainment area
Parks, Open Space: recreational, art, cultural spaces (i.e. Bee Cave Central Park)
Nature Preserve: conservation areas (i.e. Balcones Canyonlands Preserve)
Character overlay areas: guide what type of zoning or development can occur in an area that is likely to redevelop in the future
- West Gateway
- Central 71 Corridor
- Hamilton Pool Corridor
- Recreation and Entertainment District
- Central Business District
Conservation subdivision: maintains the majority of a site as open space to conserve its natural resources, especially in rural and sensitive environmental areas
A Bird's Eye View of Bee Cave
How young is Bee Cave?
According to Our Bee Cave 2037, Bee Cave’s overall median age is higher than in Austin, and Bee Cave’s households are more likely to be made up of families. The plan also states Bee Cave residents are mostly affluent and highly educated.
Future land-use map
The future land use map, or FLUM, categories builds on Bee Cave’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan. Although these future land-use classifications do not carry the same legal weight as zoning, they do provide a guide for the city to consider new annexations, zoning and zoning change requests by developers and citizens.
1. West Gateway
Landmarks: Lake Travis ISD potential new middle/high school, Bee Cave Primitive Park
Uses: residential, neighborhood services, schools, parks/open space
Building design features: 75-foot setback from street, side or rear parking preferable, trail/pedestrian/road connections, unique gateway signage identifying Bee Cave, limited driveways on West Hwy. 71, native landscaping on monument signs
2. West 71 Corridor
Landmarks: Bee Cave Elementary School, Bee Cave West, Falconhead West
Uses: high-quality/specialty retail, office, schools, parks/open space
Building design features: 75-foot setback from street, side or rear parking preferable, trail/pedestrian connections through an internal network inside corridor, limited and shared driveways on West Hwy. 71, native landscaping on monument signs
3. Hamilton Pool Corridor
Landmarks: Star Hill Ranch; plan recommends adding a zoning district such as rural mixed use with requirements that would protect the area’s low-density, rural residential nature but allow limited neighborhood retail services
Uses: rural neighborhood; special destination or tourism-type uses such as bed and breakfast lodging, farm stands, wineries, small music venues; parks/recreation/open space; plant nurseries; small offices; restaurants or markets
Building design features: small building footprint, low-impact development, conserve existing trees, roadway screening, reduced building heights to preserve views; close scrutiny of outdoor lighting to preserve dark-sky environment; limit roadway congestion; 75-foot setbacks; underground utilities; limited commercial signage; use of earth tones and stone materials
4. Recreation and entertainment district
Landmarks: bordered by the triangle created by West Hwy. 71, Bee Cave Parkway, RR 620; proposed The Backyard entertainment facility; Central Park
Uses: entertainment, music venue, recreation, cultural, arts, community center, residential as part of mixed use with cultural facilities
Building design features: buildings located closer to street, with setbacks of 10 feet or less; parking fronting street discouraged; public art elements; underground utilities; low impact development; green standards building practices
5. Central business district
Landmarks: City Hall/Hill Country Galleria, Shops at the Galleria, Spanish Oaks Golf Course
Uses: recreation/cultural/arts, restaurants, retail, open space, apartments and detached townhomes
Building design features include: outdoor sitting areas, sidewalks and pedestrian trail connections; public plazas; open-space areas; open storage prohibited; small pockets of parking areas; underground parking
