A large regional medical facility has finally been approved by the Lakeway city council that will bring the south lake Travis area some tremendous facilities.  Included in the plan are a hospital with a level two trauma center and an emergency services helipad.  Also to be in the complex with the hospital will be retail space, medical services, a restaurant, a rehabilitation center, an extended stay hotel and a daycare facility.  This is a really large project for Lakeway, which used to feel out in the country.  It will be developed on 54 acres. 

The hospital itself will have a level two trauma center.  Brackenridge is currently the only level one trauma center in the area.  The major difference in being level two is that the hospital will not be required to have neurosurgeons and trauma surgeons and level two emergency facilities are usually not designed for pediatric trauma referrals.  This is why the hospital will have a helipad; quick transportation to Brackenridge will be possible for the more severe emergency cases. 

This medical facility is just about the last thing that the Lakeway - Bee Cave - Spicewood area needs in order to be pretty complete communities.  The area already has plenty of shopping, restaurants, daycares, gyms, etc.  With the new Hill Country Galleria Mall going in and now the hospital on the drawing board, people won't have to travel far for much of anything.

Not having a hospital close by has been an issue for a lot of people who have thought about buying in western Travis County, northern Hays county and even parts of Blanco and Burnet Counties.  This has been especially true for retirees who wanted to buy in the area.  Even though development out Highway 71 has been strong lately, I see the hospital as solidifying more development and perhaps speeding it up.

The complex is slated to break ground within a year or so and the hospital is scheduled for completion within three years.