spanish_oaks

Security is serious business at Spanish Oaks

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 17:10:39 GMT

Erwin Ballarta has spent nearly every waking moment of the past 36 years thinking about how best to protect people. He’s done it as a police officer, a state trooper, and as a lieutenant with the Texas Department of Public Safety, where he trained thousands of other law enforcement officers in security procedures. He has served on the security details of Texas governors, entertainers, athletes and foreign politicians. And now Ballarta is protecting the residents of Spanish Oaks, as the founder of the team that guards the community, Armatek USA Security Group, Inc.

Course designer Bobby Weed mentored by Pete Dye

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 17:06:57 GMT

The Spanish Oaks Golf Course stands as a testament to the rare talent of course architect Bobby Weed. Not only did he create a beautiful and challenging layout, rated among the best in Texas, but he also made it one of the most environmentally sensitive courses ever built, fully embracing the rugged natural topography in his design and restoring native vegetation that had been killed off decades before.

Weed’s talent was recognized early on by none other than the legendary Pete Dye, who designed nearly 200 courses during his career and is one of only four golf course architects to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Weed began his career nearly 40 years ago as Dye’s apprentice, and they’ve been friends ever since, sometimes collaborating on course designs and renovations. Dye’s days as a golf course architect have sadly come to an end. Now 92, he’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. But Weed still visits his long-time mentor as often as he can.

A recent GolfDigest.com article paying tribute to Dye said that, outside of Dye’s immediate family, no one spends more time with him than Weed. And the article quotes Weed extensively.

“Pete is going to have a number of legacies,” Weed told the GolfDigest.com writer. “His golf courses will stand the test of time. His other legacy is how many people he has influenced who themselves have contributed to the game or are part of the game, myself included.”

Dye did not collaborate with Weed on Spanish Oaks. But walking the fairways of this stellar golf course, it’s easy to believe that the old master would nod approvingly at his protégé’s creation.

Pete Dye (left) with his protege Bobby Weed.

Going big in Bee Cave: Hotel, offices, shops and hundreds of homes planned

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:54:31 GMT

Bee Cave is about to get busier. Two developers are partnering to bring an 80-acre mixed-use project bustling with shops, apartments, offices, houses and a hotel to the Austin suburb. Called the Village at Spanish Oaks, the community would be a milestone for commercial development in Bee Cave — a slice of walkable, urban living not seen before in the quiet enclave.

It is a collaboration between Austin-based CCNG Inc. and Greenbrier Southwest Corp., known for developing upscale resorts and mixed-use communities in Arizona. Greenbrier is also involved in the restoration of the Commodore Perry Estate in Central Austin, which is being turned into a luxury hotel.

The Village at Spanish Oaks is the final phase of the 1,200-acre Spanish Oaks master-planned community. CCNG started developing the gated luxury subdivision in the late 1990s.
The Village at Spanish Oaks would be just west of where State Highway 71 and Ranch Road 620 intersect.

Article by: Marissa Luck, Austin Business Journal

A community born from environmentalism

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:49:22 GMT

Daniel Porter was just looking to buy a nice tract of Hill Country land on which to build a home for his young family. The City of Austin and its environmental allies were looking for ways to prevent overdevelopment from damaging the crucial watershed of Barton Creek beyond the city’s western borders. From these seemingly disparate interests emerged the private golf club and luxury home community that is Spanish Oaks.

The year was 1998. Porter had sold the assets of his Houston-based pipeline company and decided to move his family to the Austin area. An acquaintance who worked for the Nature Conservancy led Porter to a 230-acre parcel near the sleepy village of Bee Cave. Porter liked it and bought it.

The acquaintance was also helping buy land in the area for the City of Austin’s Barton Creek watershed conservation program. A 740-acre parcel next to Porter’s land and Little Barton Creek was coming on the market. Environmentalists feared a buyer would use it for high density development, paving over much of the property and sorely harming the watershed. But the City of Austin wasn’t able to acquire it.

Having gotten to know Porter, the environmentalists were convinced he shared their concerns and that any real estate development he might be do would respect the land and watershed. They asked him to buy the tract.

Porter had no real estate development experience. But he had been a competitive golfer, playing on the University of Houston team and trying out for the pro tour. And that experience immediately gave him an idea for environmentally sustainable development of the property.

Four months after buying his initial home site, he closed on the larger adjoining tract.

The core of his idea was a private golf course that would be both one of the best and one of the most environmentally sensitive ever built in Texas. This would be surrounded by low-density residential development, leaving much of the land preserved in a natural state. That’s what you’ll find at Spanish Oaks today. Upon completion, only a few years from now, there will be just 485 homes within the 900-acre gated community. The golf course construction respected the existing topography and brought back native vegetation that erosion had ripped away decades before. The entire property is irrigated with reclaimed water, taking nothing from the creeks and fragile aquifer.

Austin’s environmental community took a chance on Daniel Porter two decades ago. His environmentally sensitive development of Spanish Oaks shows that the bet has paid off.

Bee Cave awarded Platinum Scenic City status

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:44:31 GMT

The city of Bee Cave on Thursday was recognized as an official Platinum Scenic City through the Scenic City Certification Program. According to its website, the mission of the Scenic City Certification Program is to support and recognize Texas municipalities that implement high-quality scenic standards for public roadways and public spaces.

Mayor Monty Parker accepted the award at the Texas Municipal League’s annual conference in Fort Worth Thursday, Oct. 11. City staff originally applied to be a Scenic City in 2016 and received a gold status along with a list of improvements needed to become a certified scenic city

After reviewing criteria where Bee Cave fell short in 2016, Director of Planning and Development Lindsey Oskoui said, city staff reapplied this spring and were notified July 9 that the application for upgrade had been accepted.
Oskoui said the award focuses on cities based on how their code is structured. For its application Bee Cave referenced specific code sections, policies and programs that fulfill the Scenic Cities mission, which has several different areas but is especially focused on signs, landscaping and beautification.
“I think Bee Cave has a fairly strict sign ordinance that keeps the signage in the area understated, and in terms of our landscaping we have a lot of language that emphasizes preservation of existing trees and, in the case of removal, replanting,” Oskoui said, adding that both of those objectives are consistent with Scenic Cities’ goals.

Other cities awarded a Scenic City status this year:
Bee Cave (ranked up) – Platinum
Corinth (ranked up) – Silver
Duncanville (first-time) – Bronze
Fort Worth (re-certified) – Gold
Little Elm (first-time) – Silver
Manor (first-time) – Bronze
McKinney (re-certified) – Platinum
Nacogdoches (first-time) – Recognized
Pharr (ranked up) – Silver
Prosper (ranked up) – Silver
Rockwall (re-certified) – Platinum
Seabrook (re-certified) – Recognized
West University Place (re-certified) – Silver

Article by Brian Rash, Community Impact Newspaper, October 12, 2018

Choose from top-rated public and private schools

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:35:18 GMT

When you live in Spanish Oaks, we can’t guarantee that your kids will get A+ grades in school, but we can guarantee that you’ll have A+ rated schools to choose from for their education. Spanish Oaks is served by the Lake Travis Independent School District, which received an A+ grade and is ranked as one of the top two public school districts in the greater Austin area by Niche.com, an educational rating service. Spanish Oaks students are currently assigned to Lake Pointe Elementary, Lake Travis Middle School, and Lake Travis High School. Each of these schools has also received A+ grades from Niche.com.

Another education rating website, GreatSchools.org, rates Lake Pointe Elementary as the best of Lake Travis ISD’s six elementary schools and one of the best in the region. GreatSchools uses as a 10-point rating scale, and scored Lake Pointe a 10 overall. Lake Travis Middle and High schools scored 9-point overall ratings from GreatSchools. The middle school received a 10 for its students’ standardized test scores and the high school did for its students’ college readiness.

Of course, you can’t talk about Lake Travis High without mentioning the football program. In the past dozen years, the team has won six state championships, including five consecutively. For more information on these three great public schools, visit the Lake Travis Independent School District website.

If you prefer private schools for your children, you’ll have excellent options there, too. Among the most popular private school choices of Spanish Oaks parents are St. Andrew's Episcopal School , St. Michael’s Catholic Academy , and Regents School of Austin . Niche.com gives A+ grades to all three and ranks them among the five best private schools in the greater Austin area.

St. Andrew's offers K-12 education and has two campuses. its elementary and middle schools are at 1112 West 31st St. in Austin. The high school campus is at 5901 Southwest Parkway, just 15 minutes from Spanish Oaks.
St. Michael’s was rated the best Catholic high school in the Austin area by Niche.com. Like St. Andrew's, it’s just 15 minutes from Spanish Oaks, at 3000 Barton Creek Blvd. Just around the corner from St. Michael’s is St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, which offers pre-K through 8th grade education.
Regents offers a classical Christian education for students in grades K through 12 at its 82-acre campus off of Southwest Parkway, again just 15 minutes from Spanish Oaks. The school has more than 1,000 students.

Construction begins on The Hillside at Spanish Oaks

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:22:55 GMT

The luxury residential community of Spanish Oaks has begun construction of its much anticipated and last golf-course frontage neighborhood, The Hillside. More than half of The Hillside’s 64 home sites within its 83-acre site overlook the private Spanish Oaks Golf Course and most offer panoramic Hill Country views. Common areas will be extensively landscaped with native plants and The Hillside’s streets, private park and walkways will reflect the best-of-the-best in Spanish Oaks.

The Hillside will be accessible to residents through two gated entrances. This comes in addition to the 24-hour manned guardhouses at both existing entrances to Spanish Oaks from State Highway 71.

Home sites in The Hillside range in size from approximately 0.3 acre to 1.6 acres and are priced from $600,000 to $1.75 million. All plans must adhere to rigorous architectural and landscape standards, and only select architects and builders will be approved by the developer.

Construction of roads and utilities in The Hillside is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2019. However, buyers will be able to close on the purchase of their home sites and start home construction before The Hillside infrastructure work is completed, if they so desire. Development financing for The Hillside is being provided by Southside Bank.

“Spanish Oaks residents and golf members have been watching this property for a long time and waiting for its development,” said Scott Michaels, the Broker at Spanish Oaks Realty. “We have six reservations already and a lot of interest from custom homebuilders, Realtors, and buyers seeking a trophy location and a one-of-a-kind luxury home with amazing views.”

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The 900-acre Spanish Oaks community features an 18-hole private golf course (rated by Golf Digest as #3 in Texas in 2017), a resort-style pool and pavilion, a fish camp, neighborhood parks, an extensive trail system and 24-hour manned security entrances. Including The Hillside’s 64 planned homes, Spanish Oaks will have a total of 485 homes, 75% of which are already built. The sales price of homes in the community averages more than $2 million, while the 64 homes that will comprise The Hillside are expected to average in excess of $3 million.
To schedule a private tour of The Hillside at Spanish Oaks contact Scott Michaels, Spanish Oaks Realty at 512-533.2300.

Spanish Oaks median home prices highest among Austin communities

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:08:17 GMT

Once again in 2018, Spanish Oaks confirmed its position at the top of Austin’s luxury home communities. The median sales price of the 34 homes sold in Spanish Oaks last year was $1.6 million, equaling the median estimated value of the 337 homes built to date in the community, according to estimates from Zillow, the real estate website and research company. A recent report from a Zillow subsidiary said that no other neighborhood in the Austin metro area had a median estimated home value of more than $1.1 million.

The year also saw 16 Spanish Oaks home sites sold at an average price of $450,000. The average price is expected climb in 2019 with the recent release of 64 home sites in The Hillside, a new neighborhood bordering the Spanish Oaks Golf Course and the last to be developed within the current boundaries of the gated community. The starting price for home sites in The Hillside is $600,000 and ranges up to $1.75 million.

A total of 485 homes is planned for Spanish Oaks. Featured available homes and home sites can be viewed HERE .
For additional information on Spanish Oaks properties, contact broker Scott Michaels at Spanish Oaks Realty, (512) 533-2300.

Dining is 'par excellence' at Spanish Oaks Golf Club

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 15:59:19 GMT

The first course was Oysters and Pearls, prepared with oysters, Osetra caviar, tapioca custard and a sabayon sauce. The next course was Escargot a la Bourguignon. And after that, Pate de Champagne en Croute. Each of these was paired with a different fine wine, as were each of the next six courses at a recent Chef’s Tasting Dinner at the Spanish Oaks Golf Club.

The primary attraction at the Spanish Oaks club is golf. But as members will tell you, the outstanding food in the club dining room ranks a close second.

There, you can get a burger, taco or other tasty casual meal after an enjoyable (and challenging) round of golf during the day. But you’ll also want to come back in the evening for a fine dining experience on par with that of Austin’s most-acclaimed restaurants.

Executive Chef Matthew Schaefer amazes members with culinary extravaganzas like the one described above three or four times a year. And the regular dinner menu every night features many palate-exciting dishes. Among Schaefer’s current personal favorites is the grilled, tandoori-spiced Chilean sea bass, with a turmeric vinaigrette, served over ancient grains. (Dining room Service Director Lisa Stanley can suggest excellent wines from the club cellar to go with this and the other dishes on the menu.)

The menu is decidedly eclectic, with Asian-, French-, Mediterranean- and Mexican-influenced dishes created by Schaefer and his assistant chefs from their wide-ranging culinary explorations. “A lot times we’ve had something somewhere, and we want to recreate it or make it better,” Schaefer says.

He also introduces new dishes to the menu frequently. “If I’m kind of bored with a dish that’s been on the menu for a while, I figure the members probably are, too,” he says.

The dining room atmosphere is intimate, yet anything but stuffy. “I want it to be a place where you feel at home,” Schaefer says. “I want it to be a place where you’re comfortable bringing friends and family. I’ve found that good food has always brought people together.”

From its inception, the Spanish Oaks Golf Club was designed to cater to the best golfers. With Schaefer and his staff in the kitchen, it has also become a club for those who are as passionate about food as they are about golf.

If you’re now salivating over a potential membership at this extraordinary private club, please contact Club Manager Dan Smith at 512-421-8530 or dsmith@spanishoaks.com.