This project will consume an inordinate amount of water. 

This hilltop site has very thin topsoil covering layers of solid limestone making it much more difficult than typical ball field sites to grow fields of grass.

Growing lush grass for full time sporting use will require an inordinate amount of water and fertilization (resulting in extremely high operating costs).

Given the recent severe drought conditions and the resulting awareness of utilizing water efficiently, EISD recently approved replacing grass fields with artificial turf at two of their school sites located nearby in the hill country.

The proposed site has environmentally sensitive features.  

EISD’s engineering reports indicate that this tract is in the Critical Water Quality Zone of the Colorado River.  In addition, the tract is within a Water Quality Transition Zone, an Upland Zone, and is in the 100-year floodplain.

The topography is indicated as rugged.  Runoff from the land discharges into the Colorado River (Lake Austin), the source of drinking water to numerous water districts and the City of Austin.

The property contains environmentally sensitive features that need to be protected. Several of the proposed fields appear to be drawn in or near areas where these features are located and may need to be moved or eliminated to allow sufficient setback.

Due to the critical environmental features on the west side of the site, the report called for the development of school improvements in the center and eastern portions of the property.

River Hills Road is a narrow 10 foot, curvy, country road with numerous switchbacks and blind 90-degree turns. Eanes Independent School District’s (“EISD”) own engineers reported the need for significant road improvements to safely handle traffic as part of a study for a new school on the site.

The reports indicated that River Hills Rd. needs to be widened, the road surface needs to be improved, and the radii of certain curves need to be increased to allow for the safe passage of vehicles.

Additionally, the overall right-of-way width of the road also needs to be increased and the road needs to be widened to four lanes in front of the EISD tract to allow for adequate ingress and egress.

The reports also called for significant improvements to the low water crossings on River Hills Rd. to improve safety.

Road improvements would need to be designed in such a manner to safely accommodate walkers, joggers, and bike riders that use this road as well.  At peak times, the Sports Complex would turnover their large parking lots numerous times and may generate as many as 6,000+ additional vehicle trips on the road in a day.

We are not aware of any current cost estimates for the necessary improvements to River Hills Rd, however, it is anticipated that these costs would be significant, and there are no current plans to improve River Hills Road by any governmental organization that we are aware of.

Capacity

The intersection of Bee Caves Rd. (RM2244) and River Hills Rd. does not have the capacity to handle the vehicle trips generated by the Sports Complex.

Currently, there is no traffic light at this intersection, and signalizing this intersection is problematic because of:

• limited sight distance issues resulting from a hilltop just west of the intersection
• the location of several other roadways very near the intersection
• the significant traffic flow on RM2244
• a sharp “S” turn on River Hills that begins at the intersection
• a 60 mph speed limit on RM2244

Currently, TxDot and Travis County are studying the intersection to determine the safest and best solution to handle current and future traffic loads. We understand that WHLL has agreed to put $200,000 in escrow for the installation of a light at the intersection should one be approved.

Preliminary cost estimates provided to us from the Texas Department of Transportation range from $245,000 to over $4 million.

Fire & Ambulance

Traffic issues make fire and ambulance response times unsafe for area residents and ballplayers.  Even with a traffic signal, traffic queues on River Hills Rd. could be over 1 mile in length (back to the Sports Complex) resulting in waits in excess of 1 hour in certain circumstances.

Fire and life safety access would be insufficient and therefore life threatening for area residents and the ballplayers at the facility should traffic congestion result as anticipated.

365 days a year from 6 am to 10:30 pm

WHLL has indicated that the Sports Complex is expected to be open every day of the year, including holidays, and only close for a few hours at night.  This schedule is more appropriate for a facility in a commercial area and isn’t appropriate for a site located in a residential neighborhood.