Blanco County, west of Austin, could get larger - much larger in terms of population.  A new development planned for northern Blanco and part of southern Burnet County could bring as many as 6000 new homes to the area.  Also included in the plans are golf courses, greenbelts and commercial space.  If this goes through it could add over 9000 people to the area over about 20 years.   Part of having this project come to fruition is getting the LCRA to agree to provide water and the LCRA will probably approve the request for water.

There is already significant growth out Hwy 71 from Bee Cave to Marble Falls. The entire area has had a number of new subdivisions announced over the last year or so and many more are likely to be announced over the next several years.  The LCRA has a long term plan to take water to these areas assuming developers ask for it.  Developers see the area as a relative gold mine.  There is a lot of land available and it is in the heart of the Central Texas Hill Country, which is beautiful with its hills, lakes and creeks.  It won't be long before we see a lot of new homes in the area.

May people who live even within 50 miles of the proposed development are not happy about the possibility of adding so many new homes and people to the area.  Traffic out Hwy 71, which takes you from Austin northwest toward Johnson City, is already heavy.  It is also heavy on 281, part of which runs between San Antonio and Johnson City.  It looks from what I can see that the project might surround or border Cypress Mill and Round Mountain.  The road that runs between these communities could also see a tremendousn increase in traffic.

There is also concern about water.  The increasing number of homes and non-residential development will put a strain on the local water supply.  The Hill Country Alliance is very interested in development in the area.  That group isn't anti-development, but they want to see well planned and controlled development.

There is also concern from the Blanco County.  Their primary concerns are about fire protection, law enforcement and emergency services in the area.  The population of the county is relatively small right now, with the largest towns being Blanco and Johnson City.  The last estimate for the population of Blanco County I saw was around 9000.