Posted: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:17 AM - 14,049 Readers

By: Shelton Green

A battle is brewing on Lake Travis near Volente, between neighbors and a developer who wants to build a marina next to a preserve.

Brian George, a real estate developer and land owner is working with another developer to build a $15 million dollar marina called Lost Canyons Resort.
 
“We've had this property for about 70 years and the best, highest use for this property is for a marina,” said George.
 
Lost Canyons developers want to put 60 boat slips on one side of Lake Travis and about 150 on the other, all on land owned by George. Customers would travel by ferry to boat slips on the other side.
 
“What we're looking to do is provide a community for boat owners that's more than just a place to park a boat,” added George.
 
However not everyone in the area is happy about the plans.
 
“It's not an opposition to development. It is here are the hazards, here are the issues, the marina as it's planned is simply inappropriate for this space,” said Dave Evans, the president of the Comanche Trail Community Association which represents about 80 homeowners in the area.
 
The Comanche Trail Community is concerned about the marina’s impact on protected land right next to the proposed marina site and the impact on safety to the neighborhood.
 
“There are no roads, there are no fire roads. There's absolutely no way to defend a fire. Since I've lived in Austin the Lake Austin Marina has burned I believe it's three times. So any kind of thing that starts a fire down here, which clearly a jet ski out in the water doesn't do anything that starts a fire down here, is an immediate threat to our neighborhood,” said Evans.
 
Lost Canyons developers have yet to submit permits for their project.
 
Groundbreaking on the resort could happen in 2 years