New LCRA Transmission Line Concerns Austin Residents

Austin residents are rightly proud of the natural beauty in their area.  With a climate that lets people go hiking and biking year-round, Austin offers many great residential communities with nearby trails. That is why residents near the Brushy Creek Trail System are concerned about the announcement by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) plan to create a new transmission line.  A new power line can hurt Austin real estate.  What are the concerns?

Harming the Environment

Birds, deer, fish, frogs and other wildlife depend on the Brushy Creek area.  Construction of the line can hurt plants and alter habitats.  Even after the line is completed, continued maintenance can disrupt the natural environment these creatures depend on.

Traffic

The road up to this area is very narrow and not designed for construction vehicles.  This project would create traffic problems along with noise and wear on roads.

Flooding

The flooding that Brushy Creek has gotten in the past during heavy rains could be worse if construction removes vegetation and creates soil erosion.  Furthermore, the flooding could make having high powered lines in the area dangerous.

Damaging Valuable Natural Trails

Having a major power line run right through this trail will destroy the natural beauty of the area.  This can also negatively affect Austin real estate values in the area because the trails will then be less of a focal point

Airport Hazard

Additionally, the planes taking off and landing at the airport off Parmer lane could find the transmission line to be a danger.

Reduced Area Property Values

The Brushy Creek Regional trail is not just a beautiful place to hike, it also enhances property values of the surrounding 7 neighborhoods who have access to the trail.  If a transmission line runs through this area, the bikers, runner, and hikers will find the area less appealing and that will reduce the value of the adjacent homes.

What Can Area Residents Do?

People in the community who are concerned about this issue can call the LCRA Transmission Services at 800-776-5272, ext. 7051.  

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For more information about Austin real estate listings and Austin Texas real estate, visit www.AustinHomesForSale.com or contact the team at (512) 887-4849. 

Avery Ranch Gets Better With Rotten Bunch Wine Restaurant Opening

The fabulous area of Avery Ranch just keeps on getting better.  Case in point: the new opening of The Rotten Bunch Wine Bar + Restaurant.  With a big debut in October, this new tapas and wine centered venue aims to make getting together and enjoying great wine and interesting food easy and fun for couples and groups.

The Rotten Bunch has an attitude.  The  name comes from the fact that wine, in spite of being "highfalutin" is really just a bunch of rotten grapes.  The goal of the owners is to create a place with terrific food and sophisticated atmosphere, but no pretense.  That goal fits into the Avery Ranch community, which is a great place to live.

At The Rotten Bunch, they want customers to enjoy the wine drinking experience with fabulous dishes that really complement and enhance the wine, like the "cana de oveja cheese plate" with sheep's milk cheese, pear ginger chutney, and macadamias.  Want some veggies?  The "little sapphire salad" has blueberries, baby cukes, mint, pine nuts and goat cheese.

Sound a little too light?  Don't worry, the menu features great solid main dish items too. Need some protein?  You can get "tuna tartare with lettuce wraps" or a solid "hanger steak and chimichurri."  Sweets more to your taste?  Try the "rocky road chocolate terrine."  Everything is made with local sourced products.  In fact, the eggs and herbs are actually from the owner's private farm.  You can't get any closer to local source than that!

Because The Rotten Bunch wants to make wine drinking fun and accessible, their servers and bartenders are happy to answer questions from new or experienced wine drinkers.  You can enjoy going to wind down after a hard day at work, or just to enjoy learning something new about different wine vintages.  Not sure you really want wine? Since this is Texas, they know you can't live on wine alone, so over ten Texas craft beers are on tap.  They even have gluten free mead or cider, so everyone has something to enjoy.

The Rotten Bunch is located in at 14900 Avery Ranch Blvd.  They are open Tuesday through Thursday  4-10, and Friday through Saturday from 4-11.  Happy hour is 4-6 with $5 wine on tap, $1 off wine by the glass and $2 off beer and appetizers.

For more information about the growing community of Avery Ranch contact the AustinHomesForSale.com team at (512) 887-4849.

Cedar Park Continues to Grow, and Brushy Creek Trail Is Growing Along With It

As Austin continues to expand in size and popularity, the surrounding cities and communities of Cedar Park and Round Rock are absorbing many new residents who want to be near, but not necessarily in Austin itself. Communities within such as Brushy Creek are thriving, with new businesses coming to the area and vast improvements being made to the surrounding area. A notable improvement is the upkeep and extension of the Brushy Creek Trail.

The Brushy Creek Trail is a multi-phase project that currently spans 6.75 miles in length. Future phases should extend the trail to nearly 10 miles in length, stretching from US 183 east to central Round Rock near Chisholm Trail. Brushy Creek Trail is open to walkers, cyclists, rock climbers, canoeists, and others; many of the paths are still gravel but more and more are being paved, making access easier.

Residents of Cedar Park, Round Rock, and other nearby communities can visit six parks by walking along the trail. Start at Twin Lakes Park, nestled in the southeastern edge of Cedar Park; then go to Brushy Creek Sports Park and Brushy Creek Lake Park. Champion Park and the Brushy Creek greenbelt are next, and then Olsen Meadows Park. The expanding trail system shows how the city's government wants to provide healthy outdoor spaces for residents.

The number of things to do and places to go in Cedar Park is getting more diverse by the day. If you're looking for a home in the area, check out www.AustinHomesForSale.com for a current list of properties ranging from single-family homes to townhomes and condos. Come on up to Cedar Park where you can have peace and quiet, and access to more urban environments in Austin.

4 New Restaurants Opening Soon in Round Rock

New restaurant venues opening soon in Round Rock show that this community is continuing to grow as a desirable area for businesses and families.  While people living in Round Rock have the convenience of living near a city like Austin, they are increasingly seeing plenty to do in their own backyard.  What new restaurants will Round Rock residents soon be enjoying?

Nutty Brown Cafe

A new venue for the famous Nutty Brown Cafe will open near I-95 and University Blvd.  Seating 5,000, this Nutty Brown Cafe will be over 25% bigger than the Austin location.  Expect to see plenty of fabulous country music acts like the ones appearing currently in the Austin location: Eli Young Band, Chase Rice with The Cadillac Three, and Merle Haggard.

Diners can also anticipate special events like Jazz brunches on Sunday, or Friday night Karaoke. Don't forget about the food.  Round Rock natives will love appetizers like Nutty Shrimp Wontons, and mouthwatering entrees like the Cecil Gallo chicken breast that comes topped with queso, taco beef, pico de gallo and guacamole.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar

Soon to open in the Round Rock 2800 I-35N  area is the third location for Hopdoddy Burger Bar.  HopDoddy offers crafted beers, hand-made syrups for drinks, crafted burgers with all-natural ingredients, from scratch buns, and Kennebec fries cut on site.  Be ready for the daily special which may include such favorites like the Boss Hog which piles pulled BBQ pork, Applewood smoked bacon, Tillamook cheese, Sweet Mustard sauce on a burger served with Chipotle Cole Slaw.

Cover3

Opening up right next to Hopdoddy is Cover3, an upscale sports bar offering a large variety of foods from Deconstructed Chili Cheese Fries and Beef Tenderloin Tostadas, to Mongolian Pork Lettuce Wraps and Chipotle Ranch Fried Pickle Chips.  Round Rock will enjoy some of the Cover3 specials like Friday Steak Night, or Chef's $5 Happy Hour Specials, or 2 for 1 Burgers and Enchilada Tuesdays.
Along with great food made with local ingredients, the chefs at Cover3 create desserts from scratch in their own pastry kitchen.  With access to all of the major networks and plenty of screens available for watching, Cover3 will surely become the place for Round Rock residents to go and watch a game.  

Mellow Mushroom  

Opening soon and located in the former Johnny Carino's at 26000 N I-35, Mellow Mushroom offers fabulous pizza, hoagies, salads, soups and original appetizers served with a kicked back attitude. Loaded with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free offerings, Mellow Mushroom makes all of their boxes and napkins from 100% recycled materials.  Even better, all of their ingredients are fresh and they offer specialty pizzas like the Magical Mystery Tour which has pesto, mushrooms, feta and mozzarella cheese, spinach and jalapenos. Moreover, with this new restaurant, Round Rock will enjoy the live music nights from local bands, free WiFi, Karaoke nights, Ladies Specials, and special brew nights which showcase unique beers.

Real estate agents at AustinHomesForSale.com stay on top of all the local housing and commercial market trends so that they can meet the needs of all local buyers.  At their Avery Ranch office, located between Cedar Park and Round Rock, they give expert assistance on homes for sale in Round Rock and Avery Ranch.  To find out more about local Round Rock trends in real estate, contact AustinHomesForSale.com at (512) 887-4849.