Multi-use project planned at Spanish Oaks

Developers of the final phase of the Spanish Oaks development in Bee Cave are proposing an 80-acre community, the Village at Spanish Oaks, where residents can live, work and play.

The development, which will be along Texas 71 and bisected by Spanish Oaks Club Boulevard, is expected to include retail, office and restaurant space, a village plaza, an inn and residential spaces.

A specialty small-scale grocer and coffee shop is also planned. The entire property will be surrounded by a 20-acre greenbelt that will incorporate a public trail system intended to connect to Bee Cave’s pedestrian trails, developers said.

The Spanish Oaks project began in 1998 with the purchase of about 1,200 acres of land within Bee Cave and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Of the total acreage, 900 acres was devoted to the development of the low-density 485home Spanish Oaks residential community and golf course.

The remaining 300 acres was allocated for the development of the Shops at the Galleria and the Paseo Apartment community.

Jack Creveling, director of development at Spanish Oaks, said in 2000 there was a development moratorium while the city established its comprehensive plan.

At the time, this new concept called “new urbanism” was emerging, and Creveling said developers liked the idea of creating a dense, walkable, pedestrian-oriented community and town center, where retail shops were situated on the ground floor and either office or residential uses were above.

“This was about rediscovering the towns the way they used to function, before we invented the automobile,” said Tim Bolinger, co-developer.

“It’s difficult to execute and it’s difficult to have a preserved opportunity like this, but it’s a very old idea of how we all would like to spend our day,” he said.

Creveling said from these discussions came the city’s mixed-use zoning for the development.

Bolinger said most of the square footage and land use on the Village at Spanish Oaks property is residential.

A range of residential offerings are proposed, including elevator-served multifamily living, brownstone-style town homes, condominiums and single-family cottages.

Between 500 and 800 units are expected to be built. An estimated 75,000 square feet will be dedicated to restaurant and retail space. Bolinger said those will be small-scale shops intended as part of the entertainment.

The entire 80 acres consists of several separate parcels, some of which could be sold to other developers, with five dedicated parking structures throughout the development. Each of the buildings will have an individual site plan and will have to be approved by the City Council.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to vote on the ordinance in September and send its recommendations to the City Council. The council is scheduled to review the recommendations and vote on the ordinance in October.

Assuming approval of the ordinance, developers said the team expects to begin construction of the streets and utilities in 2019 and initial building construction in 2020.

Bolinger said he could not put a timeline on how long it would take to build out the community, but said it could be several years.