Posted: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 09:21 PM - 11,835 Readers
By: Alex Doniach
With their manicured boulevards and rows of similar homes, three of Austin's largest master-planned communities embody the scenes of suburban life.
Mothers push strollers along the oak tree-lined streets of South Austin's Circle C Ranch, while a jogger to the northwest sweats up the rolling hills of Steiner Ranch in view of Lake Austin. On the city's northern border, golfers hit 18 holes on Avery Ranch's 226-acre course.
With slogans such as "Enjoy Life" at Avery and "Life is Better" at Steiner, the promise of domestic serenity comes with the purchase of homes in these three mega neighborhoods, which offer access to neighborhood schools and amenities in addition to relatively new housing stock.
The concept came to Austin in the mid-1980s when developer Gary Bradley bought thousands of acres of untamed ranchland southwest of downtown.
A surge of young families had begun to pour into Austin — drawn by new jobs and an emerging technology sector — and Bradley jumped on the demand for family-oriented neighborhoods.
Taking out a federally insured $100 million loan, he created Circle C Ranch, one of Austin's first master-planned communities and the development that would become his trademark.
Although Bradley would later declare bankruptcy and default on loans tied to the project and end up in federal court, his vision of a suburban master-planned community that catered to middle- and upper-middle class Austin families left an imprint on local real estate.
Developers began building Steiner Ranch in Northwest Austin shortly after Circle C was created, transforming the Hill Country into a neighborhood with thousands of midrange and luxury homes. Avery Ranch was conceived a decade later to meet demand in the growing North Austin suburbs near Round Rock.
"These communities responded to the growth of families," says Diane Kennedy, a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker United who has been in the Austin real estate business for 33 years.
"These new communities all have pools, nice parks, hike-and-bike trails," she says. "They've come in response to what buyers want in their community."
With annual fees to support homeowners associations and strict deed restrictions requiring lawns to be kept trimmed and homes maintained, real estate experts agree these communities aren't for everyone.
But Eldon Rude, the Austin director for housing research firm Metrostudy, says mega-neighborhoods draw reliably from local families and transplants looking for convenient access to schools, golf courses and community living. Steady sales in all three neighborhoods provide proof of their popularity.
Circle C, Steiner and Avery share similarities by design but residents and real estate agents say each community offers a distinct location and atmosphere suited to individual taste.
"All three developments are pretty comparable," Kennedy says. "It just depends on what you're looking for."
Circle C Ranch
Location: Southwest Austin
Number of homes: 4,450
Sales price range in 2009: $207,822-$525,000, according to the Austin Board of Realtors
HOA fees: $498 annual fee, plus additional costs for gated neighborhoods
School district: Austin
Amenities: Olympic-sized pool, 462 acres of parkland, the 3.17-mile, city-run Veloway, ball fields, tennis courts and the 18-hole Grey Rock Golf Club
Residents of Circle C Ranch could find plenty of reasons never to leave their Southwest Austin neighborhood.
Miles of hike-and-bike trails weave throughout the 4,600-acre community's flat terrain, nestled 15 minutes southwest of downtown off MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1).
Perhaps on account of the development's size — 4,450 homes have been built in 55 individual subdivisions, with another 200 homes on the way — Circle C also features an H-E-B, banks, shops and restaurants. An Alamo Drafthouse is planned for nearby Slaughter Lane.
Rude says this access, combined with housing for middle-class families, is what made Circle C the first Austin community of its kind.
"Some of the higher-end subdivisions had some of those things, but they were all expensive," he says. "This had a variety of home prices that made it more affordable for a broader spectrum of potential homeowners."
The sheer size of Circle C means not every home is within walking distance of the retail center. And though plans are in the works to add a second swimming facility, for now Circle C only has one amenity center compared with Steiner Ranch's three.
But for software developer Jason Bram, Circle C's proximity to downtown and its lush landscape set it apart from similar communities.
Bram, who serves on Circle C's homeowners association board, proudly points out the oak and Bradford pear trees that line the neighborhood's broad boulevards. He says the HOA maintains a strict policy requiring replacement of cut trees.
"I love Southwest Austin because ... I just feel like we're out of the city," says Bram, who commutes 50 miles a day to and from his North Austin office. "I would never leave this place."
Steiner Ranch
Location: Northwest Austin
Number of homes: 3,540
Sales price range in 2009: $205,000-$2,337,500
HOA fees: $670 annual fee, plus additional costs for gated neighborhoods
School district: Leander
Amenities: Three community centers with pools, tennis courts and multipurpose ball fields, 20 miles of nature trails, fitness centers, 18-hole University of Texas Golf Club and access to Lake Austin
It didn't take long for Kathy Mayer to fall for Steiner Ranch, the housing development perched on 4,600-acres of rolling hills in Northwest Austin.
Mayer started working as the development's community sales manager and, as she gave tours of the Hill Country, she says she found herself wooed by the wildflowers and oak trees, views of Lake Austin and miles of trails.
Since buying her Steiner home in 2004, Mayer says she rarely has reason to leave.
"The trails, the vibe, I just feel like I'm plugged into a whole life here," she says.
Situated about 25 minutes northwest of downtown Austin, Steiner is surrounded by the curve of Lake Austin and is not far from the edge of Lake Travis. Water views are common at Steiner, but a handful of multimillion-dollar properties enjoy direct lake access. Other residents store boats in private docks operated by the development.
While the property's aesthetics are a major draw — one-third of the land is dedicated green space — Kennedy says Steiner's location could mean a long daily commute. Steiner only has two entrances on RM 620 and rush hour or bad weather can push travel time downtown to 50 minutes.
"There aren't a lot of employers near Steiner because of where it's located," Kennedy says. "But I will say the aesthetics and amenities certainly overcome a lot of objections."
Mayer says sales remain strong in the development, which has an inventory of 32 model homes and plans to add hundreds more houses.
Avery Ranch
Location: North Austin
Number of Homes: About 3,231
Sales price range in 2009: $142,936-$561,000
HOA fees: $432 annual fee
School districts: Leander and Round Rock
Amenities: Five community centers, amenity center with four pools, tennis courts, athletic facilities and an amphitheater, hike-and-bike trails, proximity to an 8.5-mile regional trail, and an 18-hole Avery Ranch Golf Club bordering a 60-acre lake
Developed almost a decade after Steiner Ranch and Circle C, Avery Ranch was conceived to meet the needs of Austin's growing northern suburbs.
The convenient location — the 1,800-acre development is nestled next to the expanding Cedar Park-Round Rock suburbs with easy access to U.S. 183 and Interstate 35 — has made the decade-old community an attractive choice for families in the area.
"The thing Avery has that the other two don't have is a wonderful location," says resident Glen Colby, a computer programmer who works within minutes of home.
The cost of living in Avery is also a bit lower, he says. Some new homes are more moderately priced, and at $108 a quarter, Avery has the least expensive HOA fees of the three communities.
Avery is also situated in a "really dynamic corridor," within convenient proximity to Dell Inc. and other nearby technology companies, Colby says.
Residents, however, must contend with Parmer Lane, a busy four-lane road that runs through the area.
Bob Wunsch, CEO of Waterstone Development Group, the developer of Avery Ranch, says the neighborhood was conceived in 1998 to meet the need for a master-planned community in the north.
"The concept was to have something for everybody," he says. The first homes were built and sold in 2000, with different builders offering an inventory of about 27 models.
Wunsch says close attention was paid to detail, including common signage and the stacked stone walls that run the length of Avery Ranch Boulevard, the development's main thoroughfare.
Wunsch says in its five-year heyday starting in 2002, Avery sold 500 homes a year. Today, the community remains about 96 percent occupied with 300 additional homes in development.
"Homeowners are very loyal to the community and the name, and I think that's been a real important part of its success," he says.
