What does the Austin Metro area look like in 15 years? (Houston: real estate, broker)

[ChicagotoTexas]

My wife and I are considering relocating to the Austin area with our newborn twins in the next 6 months.

We are city dwellers here in Chicago but we like the idea of making a move outside of city limits to get a little more property. In particular, we really like the 2+ acre properties we see in Dripping Springs and within the borders of the DSISD.

I've got a lot of specific questions for the forum, but what really interests me now is to get a sense on what people think the Austin metro area will look like in 10-20 years? What will that mean for the small town of Dripping Springs and the area within DSISD? What will happen over the next 15 years to places like Round Rock? San Marcos? Austin? What about the area east of Austin?

[llkltk]

It will get more crowded. Dripping Springs won't be Round Rock anytime soon, but it will grow. There will be more housing, more retail, etc. But, for now, it's pretty laid back.

[eepstein]

One things for sure. It won't be pretty.

Originally Posted by ChicagotoTexas

My wife and I are considering relocating to the Austin area with our newborn twins in the next 6 months.

We are city dwellers here in Chicago but we like the idea of making a move outside of city limits to get a little more property. In particular, we really like the 2+ acre properties we see in Dripping Springs and within the borders of the DSISD.

I've got a lot of specific questions for the forum, but what really interests me now is to get a sense on what people think the Austin metro area will look like in 10-20 years? What will that mean for the small town of Dripping Springs and the area within DSISD? What will happen over the next 15 years to places like Round Rock? San Marcos? Austin? What about the area east of Austin?

[rpowell]

Originally Posted by ChicagotoTexas

I've got a lot of specific questions for the forum, but what really interests me now is to get a sense on what people think the Austin metro area will look like in 10-20 years? What will that mean for the small town of Dripping Springs and the area within DSISD? What will happen over the next 15 years to places like Round Rock? San Marcos? Austin? What about the area east of Austin?

My prediction is based on having lived in Dallas during the 70s and 80s, moving to Austin in '89, and having been a real estate broker for 25 years. Austin will likely maintain its "Austin is Weird" character in the central city area. North Austin will grow dramatically similar to the Dallas and Houston suburbs. It will be solid city to Georgetown. The South and East will also grow but not as significantly. The Southwest and West will have less growth as there is a tendency to control growth in those areas due to the Hill Country. But growth will still occur. The largest growth will probably be in the Lakeway area. Dripping Springs will likely double in size but I doubt that it will experience the growth that will be seen in the North Austin areas. But who knows...

[jobert]

Traffic into Austin from the Dripping Springs/Lakeway area will become even more horrific than it already is. Search the forum for "The Y" (the convergence of two highways coming in from western Hays/Travis counties. Everyone wants "affordable Hill Country", so be prepared to spend 1 hour+ each way during rush hour to get into town from these tow places. People latch on to this idea of having to live in the Hill Country, and paradoxically over time, the QOL has gone down, while the price of property has gone up.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by jobert

Traffic into Austin from the Dripping Springs/Lakeway area will become even more horrific than it already is. Search the forum for "The Y" (the convergence of two highways coming in from western Hays/Travis counties. Everyone wants "affordable Hill Country", so be prepared to spend 1 hour+ each way during rush hour to get into town from these tow places. People latch on to this idea of having to live in the Hill Country, and paradoxically over time, the QOL has gone down, while the price of property has gone up.

They will redo the roads within 15 years in Oak Hill so I don't agree with your position.

[feconi]

Austin will continue to sprawl uncontrollably over the next 10-15 years, more than it has in the past. I suspect most of that growth will be in Williamson County although a fair amount will occur southwest along 290 (i.e., towards Dripping Springs) and also in Hays County (Buda, Kyle).

[verybadgnome]

I'm not optimistic about commuting from Dripping Springs in the future. From Page 105 in the CAMPO 2035 Plan:

US 290 W from RM 12 to the 'Y': Highly congested in 2010 and 2035; no major
improvements planned

http://campotexas.org/pdfs/CAMPO_203...,2010wMods.pdf

[jobert]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

I'm not optimistic about commuting from Dripping Springs in the future. From Page 105 in the CAMPO 2035 Plan:

US 290 W from RM 12 to the 'Y': Highly congested in 2010 and 2035; no major
improvements planned

http://campotexas.org/pdfs/CAMPO_203...,2010wMods.pdf

Me neither. There is too much interest in protecting the aquifer from different agencies (LCRA, TCEQ, SOS).

The following map shows (in blue) the areas that the city is trying to steer development away from with their SmartGrowth Initiative.

City of Austin - Watershed Protection Dept: Watershed Ordinance Summary Map

Here is a list of ordinances to prevent development in this area:

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/ordinances.htm

[cBach]

I think there will be a lot of growth around where SH130 is. That's why it was built, after all. There will be tons of people moving here, and the west of town is somewhat hemmed in by Lake Travis, the Hill Country will have quite a few regulations to make it cost prohibitive to develop the area cheaply and quickly. I agree that Williamson County will grow gangbusters. South Austin will grow quite a bit as well.

If I were a gambling man I'd be buying up property along SH130 and just hold onto it until the time is right, maybe in 10 - 15 years. In 25 years, no doubt that tollway will be extensively developed, especially if they switch I-35 and SH130.