Dripping Springs has become known more for development and explosive growth in recent years than its tasty wineries and scenic Hill Country views.
The Dripping Springs City Council voted unanimously to annex and rezone a 97-acre parcel east of U.S. Route 290 as a development site called Gateway Village, clearing the way for a future project with 300-plus homes, parks and commercial space, the Austin Business Journal reported.
The development would occur in two phases, with the first delivering roughly half of the residences and the 7-acre commercial portion. The owner of the land is Cannon Family Ranch Partnership, which acquired the property in 1999, Hays County records show.
Dripping Springs, located about 25 miles west of downtown Austin, has seen a massive influx of new inhabitants over the past decade. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 5,787 — more than double the number in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Dripping Springs’ hilly landscape, along with large chunks of land occupied by wineries, distilleries and eateries, make it difficult to develop. The city passed a temporary building moratorium in 2022, freezing all residential projects while Dripping Springs officials planned ways to accommodate the frenzied growth.
“The city’s responsibility is to protect how our community grows,” Dripping Springs Mayor Bill Foulds said in a statement at the time. “We enacted the temporary moratorium to ensure future development was done in a sustainable manner and beneficial to the city.”
Several months after the ban was lifted in November, Wayfinder Real Estate started construction on a 241-unit multifamily complex called Lookout.
In February, California-based Tri Pointe Homes enlisted Queer Eye star Bobby Berk to design homes for an upcoming development near downtown Dripping Springs, featuring 586 homes across 188 acres.
—Quinn Donoghue
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