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Golf communities reflect regional growth

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By Habeab Kurdi Friday, 11 July 2008

Development continues at Cimarron Hills and Star Ranch

Cimarron Hills and Star Ranch golf communities broke ground in 2000 and now are beginning new phases of development to diversify their housing options.

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Cimarron Hills

When developer Garth Chambers originally envisioned Cimarron Hills, a nontraditional, 19-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and community, the concept was unique to the area because there was no comparable luxury housing nearby. Even today the community and golf course remain an upper echelon development in the area, according to Howard Kirk, a local general contractor who has built several homes in Cimarron Hills.

However, with the tech market crash hitting in 2001, Chambers went bankrupt after pouring substantial resources into Cimarron Hills. The grand plans of a five-star golf community rooted around a luxurious golf course started to falter, and Cimarron Hills became a sore spot for many in Georgetown, Kirk said.

“That’s what really got Garth: The up-front cost to put the course in was unbelievable, and the main clientele disappeared for a while,” Kirk said. “There’s no question — it’s the nicest club north of the river, probably one of the better ones in Central Texas.”

Plans went unfulfilled for years until Phoenix-based Pivotal LLC bought the community in 2004 and made the decision to complete all the community amenities shortly after its purchase.

Previously, most homes were valued in the millions at Cimarron Hills, but the new Golf Villa line will start in the mid-$400,000s. Semi-custom homes will begin around $500,000 and will be built in two phases, a Masters and a Champions series.

“All successful communities have a diversified product. We were hurt in the past only being custom homes,” said Chris Baker, Cimarron Hills sales executive. Pivotal decided to start Cimarron Homes building division, which will construct the Golf Villas and semi-custom homes. Cimarron Hills is taking reservations on the Golf Villa homes and is only building on 20 lots, with construction scheduled to begin in September. The reservation allows people to pick the lot they want and the type of home they want to build. Construction on the Masters series homes is planned to begin by the end of the year.

The new development began with the recently completed 45,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, which includes a full-service spa, multiple dining rooms, terrace room, banquet hall, and men’s and women’s locker rooms. The old clubhouse building was gutted and turned into a workout facility, and the hike and bike trails were finished throughout the community.

Access to the community increased with the recent opening of Ronald Reagan Boulevard north to Williams Drive. Residential developments

Star Ranch

Before Toll 130 was mapped out, developer Tim Timmerman pegged the Hutto area as a prime market for growth and for a planned golf community. Hutto officials in turn determined that they wanted to encourage an almost all-inclusive neighborhood, a vision they have since implemented into long-range plans.

“It was just synergy from the discussions, [the developers] showing us their plans and us already talking about wanting to see stuff of that nature,” Hutto City Manager Ed Broussard said. “It’s one of those happy coincidences that came about at the same time.”

Based on the city’s location, planning and future prospects, Star Ranch was to become a development in tune with Hutto’s vision: walkable neighborhoods with strong community ties.

Keeping the community diverse and connected, an apartment complex at Star Ranch is currently under construction. The 396-unit building is scheduled to have some units open to residents as early as November, according to Trammell Crow managing director Brent Stewart. The complex will have high-end luxury units with views of the golf course and will offer amenities such as a putting green and basketball courts. Units will vary from 800 to 1,500 sq. ft. and will cost between $800 and $1,300 per month.

The development also includes retail areas along Toll 130 to attract local shoppers, Hutto Community Development Director Matthew Lewis said.

“Having one of the premier golf courses in the Central Texas area is an asset in itself. We’re proud to have it in Hutto,” Broussard said. “One of the things that is needed in the Hutto market is higher-end homes and more multi-family housing. The [golf] course allows for a greater type of development than you normally see — an amenity [about which] people say, ‘I’d like to live around that.’”

With the original phase of development near completion, other opportunities are opening up. Smaller, single-family lots are available now, with about 15 new homeowners on the land that opened up in last November, and additional single-family housing is opening at the far west end of the community.

More land was set aside for the recently approved Hutto elementary school and more than 30 acres of hike and bike trails.

When Toll 130 was originally planned, it would have run through the existing Star Ranch golf course. The road was altered to allow the community development to continue as planned and to be as connected to Hutto as possible.

“Definitely Toll 130’s opening has had an impact. It’s really opened up our market and changed the whole landscape out here,” Timmerman said.

Technically the community is not in Hutto’s city limits, but an agreement was worked out so the city could still benefit via tax dollars.

“We did a limited purpose annexation of the property along [FM] 685, but the development probably won’t be fully annexed into Hutto for another 20 years,” Broussard said.

Plans for a grocery store have been on the horizon for years now, as H-E-B owns land in the development. The grocery chain was planning a store for Star Ranch, but put the plan on hold after purchasing the old Albertsons at Red Bud Lane and Gattis School Road. There probably will not be a grocery store for another couple of years, Timmerman said.

Residential developments diversify

Cimarron Hills and Star Ranch are expanding their housing options by adding different sizes, styles and price ranges of homes. With two major roads opening recently — Ronald Reagan Boulevard west of Cimarron Hills to Williams Drive and Toll 130 alongside Star Ranch — both communities are preparing for growth.