A deal between a Dallas developer and Cottonwood Shores leaders has solidified plans for a high-end, $75 million condominium project on the west side of the city.
Bluffview Waters has been in the making for the past two years. A development agreement was approved by the Cottonwood Shores City Council on Aug. 7.
Rubicon Capital Investments, the firm behind the luxury condos, has plans for two, five-story residential buildings with 113 multi-bedroom units and 15 villas. The project also will include a poolside bar, a fitness spa, tennis courts, pickleball courts, on-site hiking trails, an amenity center, and more.
The new development will sit atop a large hill off of FM 2147 near the Horseshoe Bay border. The site is one of the highest points in Burnet County, according to the developer.
This map shows the general location of the Bluffview Waters development in southwest Cottonwood Shores. While it is hard to tell from a 2D bird’s-eye view, the luxury condos will sit atop one of the highest points in Burnet County. Google Maps image
Cottonwood Shores City Manager J.C. Hughes shared some numbers behind the project with DailyTrib.com, stating that each of the condos would likely sell for around $900,000. While the project will cost $75 million to build, once completed and all improvements and amenities are finished, the entire development should be valued at around $150 million. He put this in perspective, noting that the current value of all of Cottonwood Shores is around $200 million.
The projected buildout for Bluffview Waters is about three to five years.
According to Hughes, the city has gone back and forth with the developer on height requirements and other concerns for the past two years, and he believes most of it has been settled in the recently approved agreement.
“When a developer buys a property, we’ve got to work with them,” he said.
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Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Christian Fletcher is the guest speaker when the Highland Lakes Democratic Women meet Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. at the Marble Falls Senior Activity Center, 618 Avenue L.
Bring your own lunch for social hour at 1 p.m. Coffee, tea, and cookies will be provided. No RSVP required.
Fletcher has been the EDC’s executive director since September 2001. Before that, he had the same role for the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce. He and wife Kathy are both Marble Falls natives.
The HLDW will be collecting school supplies, games, and puzzles for the Boys & Girls Club of the Highland Lakes during the meeting.
Learn more about the Highland Lakes Democratic Women at HLDW.org.
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The steel skeleton of The Ophelia Hotel and Conference Center near Lakeside Park in Marble Falls is going up as of Aug. 19.
After a long, bumpy road, construction of the boutique hospitality hotspot is on a trajectory for an October 2026 completion date, months after a spring 2026 finish date given earlier this year.
The 127-room hotel will feature an attached restaurant and bar and overlook Lake Marble Falls.
The project has been in the works since 2019 but faced significant delays during the COVID-19 pandemic and upheavals in business partnerships.
The city of Marble Falls and its Economic Development Corp. are heavily invested in the hotel and conference center, having provided $7.6 million in incentives, including the land, with the hopes of stimulating the downtown economy.
The Ophelia is expected to have a $200 million gross impact on the local economy within the first 10 years after its completion.
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The new Cow Creek bridge on RR 1431 opened to traffic Aug. 19, one month ahead of schedule. The original structure was destroyed July 5 during devastating flooding across the Highland Lakes.
The Texas Department of Transportation slashed through the red tape, kicked the rebuild project into overdrive, and replaced the critical connection between Burnet and Travis counties way before its original Sept. 19 completion date.
An emergency construction contract was awarded to Hunter Industries on July 16 after a rapid bidding process, and the project began July 21. Crews literally worked day and night to finish the bridge 31 days early.
Gov. Greg Abbott and a host of state transportation leaders held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday morning, officially opening the bridge to traffic and cutting down on the nearly doubled commute times that many RR 1431 travelers between Marble Falls and Lago Vista endured while the bridge was out.
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Some residents of Burnet and Llano counties will decide if they want their property taxes raised to fund firefighting and emergency medical services when they go to the polls Nov. 4.
The formation of emergency services districts Nos. 10 and 11 in Burnet County and ESD No. 6 in Llano County will be on the ballot for voters who live within the confines of each district.
Burnet County ESD No. 10
This district would provide emergency ambulance services to the Briggs/Oakalla area. Its boundaries would coincide with the existing ESD No. 8, which provides fire protection services. The area does not have immediate access to ambulance services.
The Burnet County Commissioners Court on July 22 approved a petition to put the formation of ESD No. 10 on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Burnet County ESD No. 11
This district would provide fire protection services to the Hoover Valley area of Burnet County, which is currently served by the unfunded Hoover Valley Volunteer Fire Department. The VFD is reliant on donations and fundraisers.
The Commissioners Court on Aug. 12 approved a petition to put the formation of ESD No. 11 on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Llano County ESD No. 6
This district would provide fire protection services to the Tow, Bluffton, and Buchanan Lake Village area, which is currently served by the unfunded Tow Volunteer Fire Department. The VFD is reliant on donations and fundraisers.
The Llano County Commissioners Court on Aug. 18 approved a petition to put the formation of ESD No. 6 on the Nov. 4 ballot.
What is an ESD?
An ESD is a political subdivision that generally supports, funds, and provides emergency services to a defined geographical area, or “district.”
The emergency services district functions by collecting a small tax from residents within its boundaries, then using that money to fund emergency services. This could include paying for professional firefighters, buying new equipment for an existing fire department, stationing EMTs and an ambulance in the area, or anything that boosts a local response to fire and medical emergencies.
The maximum property tax an ESD can levy is 10 cents per $100 property valuation.
ESDs are run by a board of volunteer directors appointed to their positions by the respective county commissioners court in which the ESD resides.
An ESD is put on the ballot when a petition that contains at least 100 signatures from qualified voters who own taxable real property in the proposed district is filed with a county and then approved by commissioners. The petitions for all three of the above ESDs received the required number of signatures, were filed with their respective counties, and accepted by their commissioners courts.
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The law firm representing the families of three of the five women killed in a July 25 collision on U.S. 281 in Burnet County shared more details in the civil case and deeper insights into what happens next. However, some questions might go unanswered until the conclusion of a criminal investigation against the Leander man arrested and charged in the crash.
According to attorney Matthew Graham of J. Alexander Law, his clients, the families of Thalia Salinas, Ruby Cruz, and Jacqueline Velazco, filed civil lawsuits on Monday, Aug.18. The families of the two other victims, Brianna Valadez and Desiree Cervantez, were expected to file their own lawsuits through other legal representation.
“First and foremost, what these families need is answers and they need some sort of accountability to be taken by the driver,” Graham said during a media conference on Monday held near the U.S. 281-Park Road 4 intersection where the deadly crash occurred.
The “driver” Graham was referring to is 37-year-old Williamson County man Kody Talley, whose actions, according to law enforcement, led to the collision that killed the five women. He was arrested on Aug. 5 and charged with five counts of manslaughter. He was still being held in the Burnet County Jail as of Monday afternoon on a $1 million bond.
According to law enforcement reports, Talley was driving a truck hauling a livestock trailer northbound on U.S. 281 between Marble Falls and Burnet when he accelerated into oncoming traffic near the Park Road 4 intersection and hit two vehicles. One of those vehicles, a Mercedes SUV, was carrying Salinas, Cruz, Velazco, Valadez, and Cervantez. The SUV flipped and caught fire, killing all five of the occupants.
The women, who were lifelong friends from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, were heading to a birthday celebration in Kingsland when the crash happened.
The occupants of the other vehicle involved, a Chevy Malibu, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Five large crosses, flowers, and solar-powered lights have been added to the memorial at the U.S. 281-Park Road 4 intersection where friends Thalia Salinas, Ruby Cruz, Jacqueline Velazco, Brianna Valadez, and Desiree Cervantez were killed in a collision. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Early Monday morning, the growing memorial at the site where the SUV burned on the side of the highway gained five large crosses with the names of each of the women.
“They’re dealing with the hardest thing a parent has to deal with in life,” Graham said when asked about the families of the women. “There are a number of people that need to be held accountable for this because it was a group and a system that failed and led to these girls’ deaths.”
PAST DETAILS IN THE WRECK
According to an affidavit filed in the Burnet County Court at Law by Texas Department of Public Safety Cpl. Jarek Stuart, who was at the scene, Talley:
had been convicted of driving under the influence at least twice in the past;
accelerated into the collision with his gas pedal pushed to the floor;
was driving a vehicle that did not have an ignition interlock device, which he was required to have by law due to his past DUI convictions;
and did not have the proper license to haul the trailer he was pulling.
Attorney Graham said the collision involves two separate legal issues: the criminal charges filed against Talley and the civil lawsuits soon to be filed by the families of the victims.
“Because of the investigation of criminal charges against the driver–there are currently five manslaughter charges pending against this driver–the investigation is precluded from disclosure,” Graham said. “We are waiting until that prohibition (on sharing evidence) is over so we can find out what led to this (crash).”
This means that evidence collected will likely be kept out of the public eye until the criminal cases move forward. Questions about Talley’s sobriety or why he was able to leave the scene without being thoroughly questioned will likely go unanswered until the criminal charges are resolved.
“There is an allegation being made (by the public) that (Talley) was intoxicated,” Graham said. “We’re going to have to wait for those investigative results to be final before we can talk about it.”
But Graham did share more details previously unreported by DailyTrib.com. Talley was on the job when the wreck occurred, transporting horses for his father’s company, Texas Camp Horses LLC.
Talley’s father, Charles Talley, co-owned the truck he was driving, and other company vehicles were traveling with Kody Talley in a convoy of sorts when the crash happened. It is unknown if Charles Talley was at the scene or involved.
The truck Kody Talley was driving did not have an ignition interlock device. This vehicle-mounted breathalyzer will prevent ignition if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath. Talley was restricted to only driving vehicles with the interlock devices due to his past DUI convictions.
According to Graham, these details could also make Texas Camp Horses LLC and Charles Talley civilly liable in the wreck.
“At the end of the day, this was the fault of an individual and the system that put him behind the wheel that day,” he said.
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The Texas Department of Transportation reopened the low-water crossing on RM 3404 in Kingsland, better known as Slab Road, on Friday, Aug. 15. The Llano River crossing was closed for repairs after it was damaged during the Fourth of July weekend flood. The Slab is a popular swimming hole for locals. Lauren Concrete shared photos of its work with DailyTrib.com.
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Agendas for Highland Lakes governments are posted 72 hours before a meeting so are not always ready by the time this story is published. Check the links for more information.
Monday, Aug. 18
Llano County Commissioners Court
9 a.m. special called meeting
Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Courtroom, 752 Andy Taylor Drive in Llano
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The Highland Lakes have mostly returned to normal following the Fourth of July weekend flood, but debris hidden below the water’s surface could still be an issue.
According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, high bacteria levels caused by the flood have subsided, returning to levels typically seen this time of year.
“It’s important to remember these lakes are not chlorinated swimming pools, so there is always a risk of encountering bacteria or other microorganisms regardless of whether there’s been a recent flood,” said LCRA Vice President of Water John Hofmann in an Aug. 7 media release.
The river authority advises caution when swimming in areas with cloudy, smelly, or stagnant water, which could indicate the presence of increased bacteria activity.
Debris left behind by the flood remains an issue for boaters. Large tree limbs and trash can get caught on underwater structures, including docks.
“The debris is getting better day by day, but you still need to keep an eye out and slow down,” Hofmann said. “It’s absolutely not smart or safe to go full speed on the lakes under these conditions. We expect conditions will continue to improve, but our advice is to remain cautious of debris for the foreseeable future.”
Boaters are also advised to avoid traveling at night if possible.
In rare cases, the LCRA has lowered the Highland Lakes for repairs and debris cleanup following a flood. The authority lowered Lake LBJ in 2019 and 2020 after the October 2018 flood, which caused mass devastation, including the destruction of the RM 2900 bridge in Kingsland.
The LCRA has not yet decided if any of the Highland Lakes will be lowered to accommodate cleanups and lakeside property restoration due to the recent flood.
“LCRA has not made a determination about whether it will lower Lake LBJ or any of the other pass-through lakes in the Highland Lakes later this year,” reads a statement from the LCRA in an emailed response to questions from DailyTrib.com. “That decision will likely be made in the September/October timeframe, and if a drawdown is scheduled, the lowering would likely happen late this year.”
Keep up with updates on LCRA lake drawdowns on the authority’s lake lowering webpage.
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