By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

On May 7, residents of the River Place Municipal Utility District will have the opportunity to vote in the first contested MUD Board election since 1996 and the issue that everyone is talking about is annexation. River Place is scheduled to be fully annexed by the City of Austin in December 2017.

Four candidates are running for two open board positions. Longtime incumbent board members Art Jistel and Ken Bartlett are running along with River Place Homeowners Association President Scott Crosby and newcomer Scott Agthe, an attorney who says his sole reason for running is disannexation. Continue reading →

By SARAH DOOLITTLE & LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

The Broe family and Redfin Seafood Kitchen hosted Pierce Your Heart, a local St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraising event on Saturday, where over 35 volunteers had their heads shaved and over $100,000 was raised for pediatric cancer research.

The Broe family of River Place organized the event in memory of their son Pierce, who died in October of 2014 from a brain tumor.

“Since we lost Pierce, we continue to search for ways to honor not only his memory, but also the lives of all children affected by cancer,” said Janel Broe, Pierce’s mom. Pierce was 12 when he died.

Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Brothers Mike, Chris and Marc Chase always dreamed of one day opening a family-run winery. In December, that dream became a reality with the opening of Barons Creek Vineyards in Fredericksburg.

The art of winemaking can be traced back many years in the Chase family.

“As proudly displayed on our flagship wine Le Baron, our forefathers at one time or the other worked in the wine industry in northern California, be it transporting grapes or setting out heat pots on a frigid night,” said Marc Chase, who lives in River Place. “(Now), 75 years later, we follow their original entrepreneurial spirit and created a family-run winery.”

The vineyard is named for the well-known creek that runs through Fredericksburg. Driving through the small Hill Country town, Chase said his family has always seen the Barons Creek name represented on many local businesses.

(L-R) Marc Chase, winemaker Russell Smith, Mike Chase, and Chris Chase recently opened Barons Creek Vineyards in Fredericksburg.

Continue reading →

Waterfall on Lake Travis, a new 5-story luxury development, will offer 36 condominium homes, each with a lake view.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

A new 5-story luxury development on the tip of Hudson Bend peninsula will offer buyers a choice of 36 condominium homes, each with a view of Lake Travis, said Cosmo Palmieri, developer.

Kelly Gray, owns MRG15 HiLine, Ltd., which is building Waterfall on Lake Travis.

Waterfall on Lake Travis, owned by Kelly Gray of MRG15 HiLine, Ltd., will offer homebuyers what Palmieri described as a “Hill Country contemporary” motif. The building face will be stucco topped with a metal roof. Inside, homes will feature limestone and wood flooring.

Gray and Palmieri are both residents of the Four Points area.

“The most unique feature will be floor-to-ceiling glass with expansive views of the lake. Some have a 270-degree view,” Palmieri said.

“It’s a landmark. There is nothing on the lake as substantial as this,” he added. Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Some residents of The Preserve at Four Points say they see a design flaw with the proposed entrance to Cardinal Point Apartment development, which is being built at the intersection of Four Points Drive and River Place Boulevard near their subdivision.  

The issue, they say, is that there is no break in the median on Four Points Drive that would allow Cardinal Point residents who are traveling west on Four Points Drive to turn left into the apartments. Instead, drivers may have to do a U-turn at the intersection of Four Points Drive and Twisted Elm Drive.

Or, they may take a safer bypass route along Twisted Elm Drive through The Preserve at Four Points, which would allow them to turn left at the light at Twisted Elm and Four Points Drive, according to Rich Keith, who lives on Twisted Elm Drive in The Preserve at Four Points. Continue reading →