By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Despite local opposition, the Foundation Communities’ Cardinal Point affordable housing project is expected to break ground in Four Points after the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in July approved $15 million in state tax credits to help fund the project.

Cardinal Point will be located on an 8.5 acre tract located at 11011 1/2 Four Points Drive. It will include 120 units ranging from one to three bedrooms. The project is expected to break ground in August 2016 and open in late 2017, according to Foundation Communities Communications Coordinator Alyah Khan. She said rents between all the units will average approximately $640/month. Families earning up to 60 percent of the area median family income would be eligible to apply. Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

River Place residents will see some relief on their water bills in the form of a one-time credit after the River Place Homeowners Association reached a settlement deal with Austin Water Utility over what the HOA said was an unjust increase in water and wastewater rates by the city of Austin.

In December 2014, the HOA filed a Water Rate Protest with the Public Utility Commission against AWU, after the city imposed a dramatic increase in water and wastewater rates upon the ratepayers of the River Place Water and Wastewater Systems. Residents saw the first increase in October 2014 and then another increase in November 2014.

River Place HOA Board of Directors Cheryl Page, Tim Mattox, Scott Crosby, Rich Coppola, Ivar Rachkind, and attorney Randall Wilburn (standing) go over the terms of the settlement with River Place residents at a community meeting on July 29.

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By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Residents in the lakeside community of Hudson Bend, which is adjacent to Steiner Ranch, want to incorporate and form their own city, preventing future annexation by the city of Austin.

“We want to avoid Austin’s high tax rates and burdensome regulations,” resident Alton Moore said. “We cannot escape many of the regulations, since almost every square foot of Hudson Bend is covered by the Lower Colorado River Authority, and we are not looking to trash the environment, but only to avoid the big-city takeover, which would inevitably force property values up, and would make this area unaffordable for many of us to continue to live in.”

The first step in the process is to convince the Austin City Council to release the community from Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). A committee of residents known as the “Hudson Bend Incorporation Committee” sent a letter to the City of Austin on June 2, requesting to be released from the ETJ.

The Hudson Bend community meeting on May 28 drew 79 concerned citizens who would like to incorporate as their own city and avoid being annexed by the city of Austin.

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

In 2011, Michael O’Rourke took his own life after a deep depression. His wife, Michele, and their two boys still live in the Steiner Ranch home they shared.

A loving father and husband

Michele knew something was wrong when she arrived back to her Steiner home after running errands and the garage wouldn’t open. Continue reading →

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

The Lower Colorado River Authority plans to upgrade the facilities at the Low Water Crossing Recreation Area on Low Water Crossing Road near Mansfield Dam. Construction is to begin next year.

Improvements at the site, which is adjacent to Steiner Ranch, will include a new parking lot, permanent bathrooms and an entrance booth.

“These are considered basic amenities necessary for park operations and are found at other LCRA recreation areas,” said Clara Tuma, LCRA spokesperson.

Currently, the park has a capacity of 115 cars, half of which park in an unmarked dirt lot and the other half on the shoulder of Low Water Crossing Road. The new lot will have the same capacity but in a structured parking lot with clearly marked spaces.

The park’s current port-a-potties will be replaced with six-stall bathrooms.

The Low Water Crossing Recreation Area near Mansfield Dam and right outside of Steiner Ranch is a popular spot for many. LCRA plans to improve the 41-acre park with a new parking lot, permanent bathrooms and an entrance booth starting next year.
Photo by Sarah Doolittle

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