Kelly Slater’s Surf-and-Condo Community Going up Near Austin

An Arizona-based developer is underway with a surfing-themed condominium project with one of the sport’s biggest stars attached to the project.

Discovery Land Company and Kelly Slater are redeveloping the wavegarden lagoon near Austin into a surf-and-condo community, the Austin Business Journal reported.

NLand Surf Park closed in 2018, and Slater and Discovery have been laying the groundwork for a development at 4836 East Highway 71 in Del Valle that echoes the success of Slater’s Surf Ranch in California.

The community, known as the Austin Surf Club, is already under construction. It is slated for over 140 condos, plus restaurants and a spa and wellness center and a lake for fishing and paddle boarding. It will feature a 2,220-square-foot surf basin designed by Slater, where surfers of all ages and skill levels can ride waves. Other planned amenities include a lake for fishing and paddleboarding

A homeowners association has already been established, and property records show that 18 condominium deeds have been transferred since August, suggesting strong interest in the project.

The NLand Surf Park was developed by Doug Coors, a member of the Coors brewing family.

Despite ongoing concerns about water availability in Central Texas due to severe drought, the development signals a renewed interest in water-based recreation in the area. Other developers, including Aventuur and Surf Lakes Holdings, are also exploring similar ventures.

Del Valle, a suburb about 18 miles southeast of Austin, has seen investment from Elon Musk’s company Neuralink. And it is a homebuilding hotspot. Hines and Trez Capital, for example, are developing 2,500 single-family lots, 50 acres of multifamily and townhomes and 75 acres for commercial real estate in Del Valle.

— Andrew Terrell