As you may be aware, there are concerns regarding the approval of the neighborhood adjacent to the Falconhead driving range and across the street from the hotel site.   Attached for your review are two documents pertinent to this issue.  First, a flyer posted within Falconhead from an anonymous resident and second, the fact sheet produced by the developer of the Grove, Scott Morledge.   There is clearly a lot of misinformation being circulated and the issues need narrowing.

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Fact Sheet

The Groves at Falconhead

This is an open letter from Scott Morledge, President of Ash Creek Homes, Inc., regarding homes to be built at the new “Groves at Falconhead” subdivision.

To all;

I have been involved in home-building and neighborhood planning in Austin for almost thirty years. Not only is it my vocation, but it is my passion to continually research, discuss and learn about important trends in this area.  Much of my input comes from talking with interested individuals and neighborhood groups.

The most important part of this exchange of ideas comes in the clear presentation of facts.  Rumor and innuendo can be divisive, and often present a cloud to the best ideas that help create wonderful communities.

To that end, I would like to present the following FACTS about the new “Groves at Falconhead” lots.

OVERVIEW

The land parcel in question is 8.75 acres, and is located at the intersection of Falconhead Blvd. and Spillman Ranch Loop.  It is bordered on the west by the golf course maintenance facility; on the east by a proposed hotel development; on the north by the practice area of the Falconhead golf course; and on the south by a 60’ wide P.E.C. transmission line and adjoining parkland.  The site itself is also bisected on its southwest corner by this same P.E.C. line.

Because of these specific site issues, the land had been proposed since the inception of Falconhead as a moderately higher density residential site, consisting of forty-50’ wide lots arranged in a typical rectangular configuration.  These original lot layouts were done as part of a large “preliminary plat” for the entire 500-acre Falconhead development before anything existed in the area.   This preliminary plat includes three other 50’ lot sections, already constructed (“Saint Andrews”, “Links” and “Legends”), together with 80’ wide and 100’ wide “estate” lots in other sections.

As Falconhead has progressed, we’ve been able to look at this site on a more intimate scale, and focused on a very significant site attribute:  the extensive cover of mature, native trees.  As part of this focus, we engaged “Lee and Associates”, a nationally recognized environmental land planning firm, to assess the tree cover and make specific site development recommendations.  Their effort involved the mapping and evaluation of all 228 mature trees on the site, and the comparison of this information with the lots and building locations on the original Falconhead preliminary plat.  They determined that nearly 55% of the existing trees would be damaged or removed under the original plan, which we considered unacceptable.

Instead of the linear street design and rectangular lot configuration of the old plan, they proposed a street system that meandered around existing trees, and lot lines that placed homes in naturally occurring voids in the tree canopy.  This revised plan affects less than 22% of the trees on the site.  It is a remarkable improvement, and a standard that goes beyond any other area of the Falconhead development.

The project will have a small pool and amenity area for its residents.  Home sizes, by design, will be sensitive to adjacent tree locations, but will not vary significantly from requirements imposed in the “Saint Andrews”, “Links” and “Legends” sections of Falconhead.  Roofing and masonry requirements in this area are the same as those imposed in other areas of Falconhead.

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

The following are some important clarifications to a recent flyer that was circulated in the Falconhead neighborhood:

1)  First, out of respect for your time, it is important to mention that the Groves at Falconhead project IS NOTIS NOT scheduled on the City Council agenda for November 23. scheduled on the Planning and Zoning Commission agenda for tonight, November 16; and

Over the past year, the subdivision proposal has been on the agenda as a concept plan, and later as a legal plat document in four separate public hearings at Bee Cave City Hall.  A number of Falconhead residents appeared in person, or by e-mail at these various hearings.  Neighborhood concerns raised at the Concept Plan stage were incorporated into the plat document, which was approved unanimously by Bee Cave Planning and Zoning Commission on October 19, 2010, and by Bee Cave City Council on October 26, 2010.

We are now working on construction plans and architectural drawings for the new subdivision.  We want Ash Creek and these new homes to be a good Falconhead neighbor, so we strongly value your input on architecture and house plans.  I personally lead the design team in this effort, so please direct your ideas to me at smorledge@ashcreek.biz.

2) The flyer states:  “Single Story Units, 1,383 sf”; Most homes have only two bedrooms and priced for low income families”; “Many do not even have garages and have multi-unit parking”. FACT:  All three statements about The “Groves at Falconhead” are false.  While homebuyers will dictate the final “mix” of homes, our smallest plans, on the most “tree-sensitive” lots, will be +/- 1,600 sf, ranging upwards to +/- 2,300 sf.  ALL homes will have at least three bedrooms.  ALL homes will have at least two car garages (Ash Creek Homes, Inc. has NEVER built homes without garages, and has NEVER built homes relying on “multi-unit parking”).  Homes will have a high level of interior finish (granite countertops, wood floors, etc.) and will be priced very much in accordance with others in the similar “Saint Andrews”, “Links” and “Legends” sections of Falconhead.

3)  The flyer states:  “Fire code exceptions to fit more units”. FACT:  The fire code “exception” has no relationship to the number of homes at “The Groves”.  This fire code “exception” allowed for a single entry/exit point, located on Falconhead Boulevard, in lieu of two entrance/exits.  The “Grove” plan was originally submitted to the City of Bee Cave with these two entrance/exit points, but in response to neighborhood comments presented at the Concept Plan hearings, the Spillman Ranch Loop driveway was deleted.  This “exception” for a single entry/exit point is identical to that used in the “Saint Andrews” (Broadwinged Hawk Drive)  and “Legends” (Gyrfalcon Cove) sections of Falconhead.

4)  The flyer states:  “Given city code exceptions to Setbacks, Frontage and Entry”. FACT: The “Entry” exception is discussed above.  Exceptions were also requested and granted in some areas of the site to allow homes to sit closer to the internal street.  These exceptions were for the specific purpose of positioning houses to save large, mature trees that would otherwise be lost in moving houses farther back.  NO SETBACK VARIANCES were requested or approved on the portion of lots facing Falconhead Boulevard or Spillman Ranch Loop….these will be identical to other areas of Falconhead.  The whole concept of “exception” in Bee Cave city code exists for the purpose of accommodating innovative design elements which accentuate, rather than destroy, natural site characteristics.

5)  The flyer states:  “Loss of Common Areas”. FACT:  Absolutely no common areas were encroached upon or lost in the design of the revised plat.  None.  In fact, the new plat actually adds a common area for the small community pool and pavilion within the development.

6)  The flyer states:  “Low-Income Neighbors”. FACT:  I’m unsure of what the intended implication of this statement is, but as mentioned, the prices of homes in “The Grove” will be very similar to the “Saint Andrews”, “Links” and “Legends” sections of Falconhead.  I wouldn’t imagine that these existing homeowners consider or appreciate themselves falling under the label of “low-income”.  Clearly, prices for homes in sections with smaller lot sizes are not the same as 4,500 sf homes on 100’ wide golf course lots, but I’m unable to reconcile this with “low-income”.

Grove at Falconhead door flyer

I am anxious to continue a productive dialogue with individual neighbors and neighborhood groups, and to that end, I request that you forward your thoughts and comments to me directly, via email, at smorledge@ashcreek.biz.  I will do my best to respond quickly, and ALWAYS factually, about our ongoing plans for “The Grove”.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information.

Sincerely,

Scott Morledge