Luxury Home Magazine and The Reserve at Lake Travis reveal builders...

AquaPalooza to make Lake Travis splash

Austing News Highlights AQUAPALOOZA

AquaPalooza hits Lake Travis in July

Gulf Coast Gems

South shore of Travis to get new development.

Developer plots Lake Travis community with equestrian center...

Hal Jones Development announces newest project.

Buyers for Texas coastal properties are on the rise.

A Sizzling Market on America's "Third Coast"

Luxury Home Magazine and The Reserve at Lake Travis Reveal Builders for 2015 Luxury Home Tour.

Contact: Pat Stark | Marketing Matters | Pat@mmaustin.com

Luxury Home Magazine and The Reserve at Lake Travis Reveal Builders for 2015 Luxury Home Tour

Austin, Texas (July 17, 2014) – Luxury Home Magazine and The Reserve at Lake Travis were excited to announce the 2015 Luxury Home Tour builders last night at the W Austin Hotel. These prestigious builders will be designing $1 million+ homes to showcase next summer at the Reserve, with groundbreaking to take place later this summer. The builder lineup includes:

  • Adam Wilson Custom Homes
  • Arbogast Custom Homes
  • Jenkins Custom Homes
  • John Hagy Custom Homes
  • Laurel Haven Homes
  • Robert Stevens Homes
  • Seven Custom Homes

For more information about any of these preferred builders and to preview their homes, please visit www.ReserveAtLakeTravis.com/Builders/.

About the Reserve at Lake Travis

Located just west of Austin, TX, The Reserve is a gated, luxury waterfront community nestled among 310 lush acres of rolling hill country. The Reserve features 3.5 miles of pristine shoreline along the coveted south banks of Lake Travis and world-class amenities. With a commitment to quality backed by the financial strength, experience and passion of partners and homeowners, Hal Jones and Red McCombs, The Reserve at Lake Travis offers primary and second home residents privacy, exclusivity and relaxed lakefront living. From custom-built homes priced from the $600's to large acreage homesites from as low as $199,000, The Reserve is the perfect place to call home.

To learn more about The Reserve, please visit www.ReserveAtLakeTravis.com/.

AquaPalooza to make Lake Travis splash

The Reserve chosen as site of 2010 signature concert

January 28. 2010
By Devin Monk
reporter@ltview.com

Lake Travis will host the 2010 AquaPalooza signature event in late July, Sea Ray officials confirmed Monday.
Rob Noyes, Sea Ray vice president of marketing, said a perfect mix of water, community support, and a leading Sea Ray dealership as a partner led to naming Lake Travis as the host location.
“When you add those three things together that’s what got Lake Travis the bid,” Noyes said.
AquaPalooza is Sea Ray’s annual series of free on-water parties during the last two weekends of July at 150 locations in North America and abroad with the signature event drawing a flotilla of boaters, kayakers and water tubers.
Country singer Alan Jackson headlined last year’s event at Lake Martin, Ala., that attracted about 4,000 boats and 30,000 people, and Taylor Swift, Everclear, Cracker and Soul Asylum performed at previous AquaPaloozas. Sea Ray officials are still in discussions with candidates to headline this year’s event.
At a meeting Jan. 19 at Lakeway Resort & Spa, Sea Ray executives gauged support from the business community, housing developers, law enforcement and government officials.
“They decided to go with Lake Travis because we are the community that rallied around it,” Sail & Ski of Lakeway owner Buzz Watkins said. “We’re thrilled that Sea Ray has chosen Lake Travis. That means a lot of work, but we’ll make it happen.”
A vacant shoreline lot at The Reserve at Lake Travis gated community will be the site for the concert.
“We looked at a lot of different sites and by far this was the best one. The site is perfectly tailored for this event,” he said.
Hosting AquaPalooza on private property gives organizers a higher degree of control over public access and use of several on-site facilities such as a clubhouse and new marina.
Hal Jones, president of The Reserve’s property development company, said the site also features a natural sloping shoreline and a concave cliff backdrop with acoustics similar to those at Red Rock State Canyon Amphitheater near Sedona, Ariz.
“Since it’s a boating-only event, we couldn’t have people coming by land. It would overrun the show,” Watkins said.
AquaPalooza began four years ago with 500 boats and grew to 1,000 boats the next year and then 3,000.
“In a period of four years, it’s blown up on them,” Watkins said. “The nature of such a large under taking has completely outgrown the capabilities and resources of the host location’s Sea Ray dealer. This is going to be a complete community effort if it is going to be successfully staged.”
The lake community already has shown its intent to support the event at the well-attended meeting last week with Sea Ray officials.
“I have never been to a stakeholder meeting where we had as many people come out as we had at Lake Travis,” Noyes said.
Jones said it was an honor to be asked to host the signature event.
“It’s the type of family event we’d like to have our name associated with, and it’s good for the local economy. We feel like it’s a good marriage,” he said.
Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce President Laura Mitchell said the event would be a boon to a retail industry that saw lake levels and business dip drastically in 2009.
“It would create probably the most positive economic impact that the local business community has ever seen,” Mitchell said.
Lake Martin recorded record fuel sales at last year’s event, and Noyes estimated each boating party purchases an average of $100 in grocery sales. AquaPalooza also attracts thousands of out-of-town boaters to the community who are looking for hotel accommodations.
 “You’re putting a lot of heads in beds,” Noyes said.
One of the key criteria in picking a host is having a partnership with a leading Sea Ray dealer in place.
Sail & Ski Center of Lakeway garnered first place on Boating Industry Magazine’s 2009 Top 100 Dealers in North America list.
“Without a dealer like Sail & Ski, you’re not even considered [for AquaPalooza],” Noyes explained.
 

 

 

Austin News Highlights AQUAPALOOZA




AquaPalooza hits Lake Travis in July

KXAN.com

February 2010

Sail and Ski's  Rod Malone knew he would get some attention with the honor his northwest Austin boat dealership just received, but that award went well beyond customers, peaking the interest of organizers of the “World's Largest Party on the Water.”
"We were just named by Boating Industry Magazine  as the #1 Dealer in North America,” Malone explained.
The annual AquaPalooza chose nearby Lake Travis to host its signature event this year after hearing where Malone is based. Last summer's event in Alabama drew 30,000 people and 4,000 boats.
That area had record fuel sales, thousands of hotel room bookings, and an average of $100 in grocery sales per boat. Here at home, Malone is banking on that same success. Lake Travis needs it.
"(The event) could ultimately be ranked like SXSW or Austin City Limits," he said.
Lake Travis lost a lot of water during a two-year drought. New islands popped up as the bottom of the lake began to emerge. By the end of last summer, boaters were down to just one ramp.
“Most of the big boats are out,” said boater Casey Clawson, “because they're docked in the marinas. You just don't see a lot of the weekend warriors out. It's not as busy as it normally is."
Water is the biggest worry, wondering if the event could pull out. Last July, the level on Lake Travis was at 638 feet. It has gone up about 20 feet since then but still has another 11 feet to go before reaching the normal level for this July when AquaPalooza is supposed to take place.
"Certainly, if there's not enough water in the lake,” said Laura Mitchell, president of the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce, “the event can't happen, but we'll cross our fingers. El Nino's still around. We've had some good rain so far and hope that will continue."
Mitchell added during the drought, surrounding communities saw their sales tax revenues drop. Businesses have been waiting for a boost like this.
"Hopefully, that shot in the arm we need," she said.
If AquaPalooza is anything like what it's been in the past, Malone's boating business stands to make a lot of money, too.
"If you don't have a boat,” he joked, “get one. If you have a friend that has a boat, load it up and come on out."
Organizers are still trying to finalize who will be the musical acts and the exact site for the event, but we do know it will be somewhere in the area between Pace Bend Park and Mansfield Dam on one of the two last weekends of July.
Another big concern beyond the water is the security needed for all of those people. We've learned, in a stakeholder meeting, local police, the Travis County Sheriff's Office, the county parks division, LCRA, even private security do have concerns. They're all on board for now and just need to iron out the details.

 

Gulf Coast Gems

excerpt from Ocean Homes Magazine

November / December 2008
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...Just north of Corpus Christi is The Reserve at St. Charles Bay, a new development on the Lamar Peninsula. Situated next to Goose Island State Park in an area known for world-class fishing, hunting and birding.

The Reserve at St. Charles Bay is a 161-acre development with plans to develop 61 boardwalk lots with wetland and bayfront access, communal piers, and a waterfront promenade. Residents will also have access to a community pool, and fire pits.

Additionally, the Reserve section features a 183-lot sub-division with large canal vistas and bay access. The home sites are priced from $300,000 to $600,000 depending on location.

 

South shore of Travis to get new development

$120 million project would include luxury homes, equestrian center

By Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
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A $120 million luxury waterfront residential development with more than 150 homes, a marina and an equestrian center is destined for Lake Travis' south shore. Planned by Hal Jones and his financial partner San Antonio billionaire Red McCombs, the 300-acre Reserve at Lake Travis would be built on what Jones said is the last large undeveloped tract on the main body of Lake Travis between Mansfield Dam and Briarcliff.

Jones said 186 acres of the project will be on the former Morris Ranch, which Hal Jones Development LLC and McCombs Enterprises purchased in August through a separate partnership, the Reserve at Lake Travis LLC. The sellers were members of the Morris family, which formerly owned Calcasieu Lumber, Jones said.

Once completed, the development on Thurman Bend Road in western Travis County is expected to have 129 custom homes from $900,000 to $7 million, and 25 cottages from $450,000 to $1.8 million. The one- to five-acre home sites are expected to range from $300,000 to $3 million. Eight lots have been reserved, some by people involved with the project, including McCombs and Jones.

Jones, who lives four miles away on Bee Creek Road, said construction on his and McCombs' houses could start within three weeks. "This is my backyard project," Jones said. He said a market study showed demand for the home sites would be split about evenly between people buying primary residences and vacation homes.

"The lake is hot right now, no doubt," Jones said. "There's only so much waterfront. They're not creating any more of it," he said. Just southwest of the Reserve, San Francisco-based Haas and Haynie plans Vizcaya, a luxury residential golf-course development. Vizcaya is going through the Travis County planning, permitting and engineering process, and is expected to break ground sometime this year, said Mark Meyer, a vice president with Haas and Haynie.

Up to 500 custom homes are planned for Vizcaya, on the former Covert family ranch. Vizcaya will include trails, a marina and an 18-hole Rees Jones-designed golf course. At the Reserve, Hal Jones plans a 192-slip marina that could accommodate vessels ranging from 26-foot ski or sailboats up to 100-foot houseboats. There also will be two restaurants — one a public, elegant-dining restaurant along the lines of Hudson's on the Bend, and the other for club members only.

Plans also call for 2½ miles of trails for horseback riders. Work on the equestrian center could start within a month, Jones said. Jones said the project is about six months from having utilities.

In addition to the Morris land, the McCombs/Jones partnership bought 110 acres for the project from the Lower Colorado River Authority. The LCRA had been leasing part of the land to the Young Men's Business League for an Austin Sunshine camp for at-risk and disadvantaged youth. The camp's facilities were antiquated and in disrepair, Jones said, and McCombs is spending about $500,000 for a new camp in the Turkey Bend Recreation Area on the lake's north side. Six cabins are under construction, Jones said. There also will be a dining pavilion, showers, sports courts, a swim dock, medical huts and a counselor's cabin. The camp, to be called the Red McCombs Sunshine Camp, is expected to be open in time for the summer camp season, Jones said.

Developer plots Lake Travis community with equestrian center, marina

A 300-acre tract on the southern shore of Lake Travis is being transformed into a luxury residential community called The Reserve at Lake Travis.

Austin Business Journal
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Hal Jones Development LLC and McCombs Enterprises are steering the project at the former Morris Ranch property on Thurman Bend Road in Western Travis County. Financial details were not disclosed.

The Reserve will feature 129 custom home sites ranging from one to five acres and an additional 25 cottages along with an equestrian center, restaurant, marina and other amenities. The full-service marina will house 192 boat slips to accommodate vessels ranging from 26-foot ski or sailboats up to 100-foot houseboats. All the slips will be covered and have the option for a housekeeping staff.

The Equestrian center will have a covered arena and offer space for a variety of English and Western riding activities. More than two miles of riding trails wind through the property. Other community amenities include a resort style pool and clubhouse, a lazy river, a waterfront restaurant and outdoor fireplaces for get-togethers.

"Our ultimate goal is for residents of The Reserve at Lake Travis to feel as if they live at a year-round resort," says Jones. Hal Jones and McCombs Enterprises are already at work on another project, The Reserve at St. Charles Bay, on the Texas Coast. That resort-style community will include 292 single-family home sites and two condo developments in Aransas County.

Hal Jones Development announces newest project.

Press release, published in Wall Street Journal

Hal Jones Development, LLC in partnership with McCombs Enterprises announced today that they have purchased 120 acres of prime waterfront property on St. Charles Bay near Rockport, Texas. The development, The Reserve at St. Charles Bay is adjacent to Goose Island State Park and will be a lagoon style master planned community featuring 292 residential lots, two condo sites, a lodge and a private island. The boardwalk, consisting of 37 exclusive bay front home sites will be released in the summer of 2007.

“Our mission is to work in harmony with the natural elements of the land” said Hal Jones, developer. “The end result is a well thought out development that coexists peacefully within the natural landscape, the wildlife and the community.” The Reserve at St. Charles Bay is one of several new communities being developed along the Texas coast. “We chose this particular location because of the amenities and conveniences already in place in Rockport” remarked Jones. “Other communities have yet to establish the infrastructure and conveniences that people demand. Rockport already enjoys not only year round fishing, wonderful dining choices,
numerous attractions and great shopping; it also has a local airport. All these things combined with the incredible beauty of the land, made it an easy decision.”

Hal Jones Development is a real estate development firm based in Houston and Austin, that focuses primarily on Texas coastal and hill country properties.

Taking it to the beach

Dozens of new projects aim at Texans who want a place of their own on the coast

Austin American Statesman
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The Texas coast has plenty of lures: sandy beaches, scenic dunes, historic lighthouses and rich fishing grounds. And it offers a wide range of options for vacation or retirement living, from modest beach houses in low-key Rockport, with its pristine beach, to luxury condominiums on South Padre Island, where new high-rises are reinventing the skyline.

Additionally, properties on the coast are affordable compared with the higher prices for oceanfront property in other parts of the country, according to real estate economists and brokers.

"Our coast in Texas is the only affordable coast in the nation," said Jim Gaines, research economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. "You can't touch a place on the East or West Coast for what you can get a nice place for on the Texas coast," said Ron Binkley, a broker with ReMax Austin/Skyline who bought a beach house of his own in Galveston in 2005. "Even with all the construction and growth, the Texas coast is still a bargain." Across the county, the market for second homes has been strong. The National Association of Realtors' annual Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey found that sales of vacation homes rose nearly five percent from 2005 to 2006, even though primary residence sales fell 4.1 percent during the same period.

In Texas, buyers include a steady stream of families looking for vacation getaways and a rising tide of baby boomers seeking retirement havens. To meet demand, developers are launching dozens of new residential projects up and down the coast. Just a sampling: On the Bolivar Peninsula, a partnership is developing Avocet Beachfront Resort Community, 148 acres that will include more than 400 single-family lots, costing from $79,000 for a back lot and up to $325,000 for a beachfront site.

In Galveston, Pointe West, a $500 million development by Centex Destination Properties, a division of Centex Homes, has 900 condominiums, 300 home sites plus a marina. On the east end of the beach, Beach- town Galveston is going up, a 125-acre development with several hundred condominiums and townhomes plus more than 300 homesites.

In the Rockport area, the 200-acre Preserve will include a wetland for waterbirds and a provision that 25 percent of each home site be left in a natural state. Cinnamon Shore, a 64-acre New Urbanist community, recently broke ground on Mustang Island. The development will include 82 homes and a community center with shops on the ground floor and living spaces upstairs. Amenities will range from meeting rooms and workout facilities to entertainment and recreational options — all within the development's gates.

Cinnamon Shore developer Jeff Lamkin is also planning Wild Sands, a smaller project at the north end of South Padre Island, an area recently opened to development. Interior lots start at $169,000 and beach front lots go for $899,000. Lamkin adds that he loves the fact that the Texas coast "is so affordable to a large percentage of the population. If there is a safe investment in real estate, the Texas coast is at the top of my list."

Gulf Coast Properties

A Sizzling Market on Gulf Coast Properties

Wall Street Journal
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Hal Jones, principal of Hal Jones Development of Austin and Houston, is targeting second-home buyers who want a quieter retreat. He's building the Reserve at St. Charles Bay, a planned community near Rockport, a fishing village halfway between Galveston and Padre Islands. "We've designed a high-end coastal community surrounded by a lagoon system" he says. "You can walk out your back door, get into your boat, and zip straight into the Gulf of Mexico." The Reserve has 270 single-family lots which will sell from $350,000 to the mid-$500,000s, depending on location, Mr. Jones says, and will include 120 condos starting at $350,000 in a four-story building near the community's centerpiece, an upscale fishing lodge. "We're sill in the permitting stage," Mr. Jones says, "but we already have buyers to make their reservations."


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