A coalition of environmental groups last week announced its opposition to a proposed 5,000-seat concert venue at 14820 Fitzhugh Road, near Dripping Springs. The coalition, Stop Fitzhugh Concert Venue, says it’s concerned about negative impacts the venue might bring to Barton Creek, as well as increased traffic on narrow country roads, drunk driving, and noise […]
Hays County
Hays County, adjacent southwest to Travis County, has a total area of 680 square miles. It contains Buda, Dripping Springs, Kyle, Wimberley and San Marcos, among other communities.
Posted inEnvironment
Report finds Hill Country suffering the demands of rapid growth
Wide open spaces, vistas of wildflowers, dark night skies full of stars, and the charms of country living have all led to unprecedented population growth in the Texas Hill Country. That growth, and the growth that will inevitably follow, have brought the region to a crossroads, according to a new report from the Texas Hill […]
Posted inEnergy
Hays County revokes permits for Kinder Morgan pipeline
The Hays County Commissioners Court has revoked permits it issued allowing Kinder Morgan’s Permian Highway pipeline project to bore under county roads. The move is the most recent flare-up in a long-standing battle between Hill Country landowners, local governments and the pipeline company. Hays County took the action Tuesday after a pipeline accident in neighboring […]
Posted inPublic Health
Central Texas counties echo Travis, issue stay-at-home orders
While the city of Austin’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines, surrounding counties are also working to keep their communities safe. Alongside the news of its first presumptive coronavirus case, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra issued a state of disaster in conjunction with the city of San Marcos on March 15. Then, […]
Posted inCourts
Opponents plan lawsuit over Hill Country pipeline’s impact on endangered birds
A new front has opened in the legal battle against a proposed, 430-mile natural gas pipeline through the Texas Hill Country, focusing on how the project will impact the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Hays County, the Travis Audubon Society and private property owners say they plan to file what is called a “notice of intent to […]
Posted inCourts
Landowners, pipeline company meet in court today
Attorneys for Hill Country landowners along with the city of Kyle and Hays County have prepared for a fight this morning with lawyers for Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline and the Texas Railroad Commission over the route of the proposed natural gas pipeline and whether the commission has lived up to its constitutional responsibility in overseeing […]
Posted inEnvironment
Hays County takes the fight to Kinder Morgan with lawsuit over proposed pipeline
After months of community protests, a group of more than 20 landowners and city leaders gathered Monday to announce that Hays County and the city of Kyle had officially joined a lawsuit to oppose a natural gas pipeline proposed to run through Central Texas. Local leaders also challenged the way the state oversees eminent domain […]
Posted inWater
Dripping Springs plans effluent reuse but wants discharge permit
The city of Dripping Springs, facing an array of opponents to its plan to discharge nearly 1 million gallons per day of treated effluent into Onion Creek, has come up with a proposal to reuse the treated wastewater and is asking the opponents to help pay for the plan. If the opponents agree, landowners and […]
Posted inHays County
It’s About Thyme to move: Nursery to be replaced by apartments
A longtime business on Manchaca Road is searching for a new home. It’s About Thyme nursery recently learned that the property on which it sits was sold for $2.8 million. The new business taking over that land? Apartments. Co-owner Diane Winslow recently wrote a letter to friends and customers about the issue. “Dear Friends. Out […]
Posted inTravis County
County votes to extend Slaughter
A major arterial on the southeastern frontier of Austin will sprawl a little farther out thanks to the Travis County Commissioners Court. After an animated discussion on the role private developers should play in funding infrastructure that directly benefits them, the commissioners voted to move forward with the expansion and extension of Slaughter Lane east […]
Posted inLocal Government
Mountain City to Kyle: It’s not no, but let’s talk
Residents and guests packed into City Hall in Mountain City on Monday evening to hear more about the proposed interlocal agreement with Hays County and the City of Kyle involving a transfer of extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Located in Hays County, Mountain City and its much larger neighbor, Kyle, are situated about 20 miles south of […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government, Public Safety, Resources
BSEACD debates annexing unregulated wells
Water supply company Electro Purification is planning to pump 5 million gallons of water per day from an unregulated area just outside the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, causing neighbors to question whether EP could deplete water in the area. At a meeting Thursday, nearby residents asked the district’s board of directors to annex the […]