A Look at the Texas Hill Country Following the path we are on today through 2030 This unique and special region will grow, but what will the Hill Country look like in 2030? Growth of the Hill Country The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. HCA was formed in response to the escalating challenges brought to the Texas Hill Country by rapid development occurring in a sensitive eco-system. Concerned citizens began meeting in September of 2004 to share ideas about strengthening community activism and educating the public about regional planning, conservation development and a more responsible approach growth in the Hill Country. This report was prepared for the Texas Hill Country Alliance by Pegasus Planning 2 Growth of the Hill Country 3 Growth of the Hill Country Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction The Hill Country Today The Hill Country in 2030 Strategic Considerations Reference Land Development and Provision of Utilities in Texas (a primer) Organizational Resources Materials Reviewed During Project End Notes Methodology The HCA wishes to thank members of its board and review team for assistance with this project, and the authors and contributors to the many documents and studies that were reviewed. September 2008 4 Growth of the Hill Country The Setting The population of the 17-County Hill Country region grew from approximately 800,000 in 1950 (after the last drought on record) to 2.6 million in 2000. What was once a region of two larger cities, with small towns to support the many farmers and ranchers living off the land, has given rise to unmanaged growth and a very different landscape than it was in 1950. The potential impacts of unmanaged growth will be detrimental to the culture, the natural resources and the economy of the Hill Country. The region’s current population of 3.1 million in the Hill Country is now projected to climb to at least 4.3 million by 2030. The growth is being fueled by two main factors – 1) the changing demographics in the United States sending baby boomers flocking to the Hill Country to live out their final years, and 2) spillover growth from Austin and San Antonio -- two of the fastest growing economies in the U.S. Compounding these growth factors is the lack of county land use authority in the unincorporated areas of the Hill Country -- which is 90% of the entire region (everything in grey in the following map). The Hill Country’s unique physical characteristics -- rolling and rugged hills, natural springs and rivers, and lush landscape -- are primary reasons for developing subdivisions in the region (additionally, it is easier from a regulatory perspective to develop in the county versus the city). 5 Growth of the Hill Country Any realtor will tell you that views sell houses. However, the views are being replaced with more rooftops on the ridgelines and roadways to get to those homes. Without a proactive growth plan the region will kill the goose who laid the golden egg. The Hill Country is also unique for its culture; a fusion of Spanish, German, Czech, and Indian influences found in food, beer, architecture, and music that forms a distinctively "Texan" culture different than the state's other regions. In 2008, The New York Times declared the region as the number one vacation spot in the nation. Traditional Main Street experiences, historic and cultural treasures such as the Alamo, recreation, music and other Hill Country tourism assets continue to fuel the strong tourism sector. Hill Country tourism is a $5 billion per year industry, including $20 million per year from the vineyards alone. The Hill Country has emerged as the center of the Texas wine industry, with three distinct viticulture regions located in the region. Nationally, Texas ranks number one in total hunters and anglers (2.6 million), money spent ($6.6 billion), jobs supported (106,000) and tax revenue generated ($1.3 billion). Hunting and fishing are major contributors to the Hill Country’s overall tourism economy. However, the primary industry of two thirds of the Hill Country counties is farming and ranching. The impacts of unmanaged growth will be seen and felt on the culture of the Hill Country. How will the growth impact the tourism industry? Hunting and fishing are just two examples of industries that could be negatively impacted by staying on the current path of growth. Until the last decade the region has experienced modest population growth. However, like other fast growing regions in the U.S., the assets that drew people here, and the overall character and beauty of the Hill Country, are now threatened by the growth itself. 6 Growth of the Hill Country Introduction The purpose of this report is to educate stakeholders in Texas and the Hill Country on what this 17-county, Central Texas region will look like in 2030 (given the assumption that the population will grow at the projected rate of growth, and no new authority is granted for managing the growth). Key Findings Several main themes arose from this project: Population in the region will grow from 2.2 million people in 2000 to 4.3 million by 2030. Ground and surface water will not be sufficient to support the projected growth. Every one of the four regional water planning studies that includes parts of the Hill Country region anticipates a deficiency of water supply. Nearly 90% of land most at risk in the Hill Country is in unincorporated areas, where county authority to manage growth is substantially limited compared to incorporated Texas cities. Amount of land in mid-size farms and ranches declined in the last decade, giving way to subdivisions and water rights speculation. Every regional planning process done in the Hill Country points to an interest among stakeholders for regional solutions to many of the growth management issues that are and will affect the region, such as water/wastewater regional planning, transportation planning, and land use planning. HCA firmly believes that if more individuals are aware of the growth and its impacts, that collectively the region will strive to determine a more proactive way to accommodate the anticipated growth while preserving certain aspects of the Hill Country that are essential to our livelihood and quality of life. 7 Growth of the Hill Country The Hill Country Today Two percent of Hill Country homes had electricity in 1930, but by 1960 only 2% did not have it. The arrival of utilities made the Hill Country more accessible and welcomed the growing population to what was and still is a treasured region. The region’s growth is most noticeable in the countryside near Austin and San Antonio city limits. Farm and ranchland in many of these suburban counties has been converted at a rapid rate into residential development, and houses are being built across the ridgelines of the hills that make this region unique. Population Population in the Hill Country grew from 2.6 million people in 2000 to 3.1 million in 2007 -- representing an 18% increase in the region’s overall population growth over this time period. The table to the right illustrates which counties experienced the most significant growth during this seven year period. Clearly, Hays and Comal counties -- located in between the two large metro areas -- had the most significant change, with both counties growing more than 34%. The Hill Country is also home to a Population Population County % Change growing population of retirees. On 2000 2007 average, rural Texas counties have a larger percentage of retirees than Bandera 17,645 20,197 14% urban counties (Texas Comptroller Bexar 1,392,931 1,594,493 14% 2001). In the Hill Country, Burnet, Blanco 8,418 9,067 8% Blanco, Bandera, Gillespie, Kendall, Burnet 34,147 43,689 28% Kerr, Llano and Real Counties are Comal 78,021 105,187 35% considered “Retirement Haven” Edwards 2,162 1,938 -10% counties because their population Gillespie 20,814 23,507 13% older than 60 years increased by Hays 97,589 141,480 45% more than 15 percent between 1980 Kendall 23,743 31,342 32% and 1990. Retirees often look to reduced traffic, air pollution and Kerr 43,653 47,860 10% crime; more parkland, recreational Kimble 4,468 4,461 0% facilities and open space; and a lower Llano 17,044 18,394 8% cost of living when choosing to move Mason 3,738 3,890 4% to rural counties.i Texas is second Medina 38,304 43,826 14% only to the state of Florida as a Real 3,047 2,965 -3% premier retirement destination, and Travis 812,280 974,365 20% the Hill Country is the premier Uvalde 25,926 26,581 3% retirement destination in Texas. Region 2,623,930 3,093,242 18% 8 Strategic focus in Napa Valley has been on green building, alternative energy, and public policy. Growth of the Hill Country Natural Resources One of the unique attributes of the Hill Country is its geography. The majority of counties in the 17-county region lie over the Edwards Plateau -- a limestone outcrop that is the southernmost extension of Texas’ Great Plains. The Plateau is marked by a line of southward and eastward- facing hills which descend steadily through the Hill Country. Starting at elevations over 2,400 feet in parts of Edwards, Kerr and Menard Counties, the Edwards Plateau drops down to 800 feet or less at its eastern borders, which end abruptly at a geologic fault known as the Balcones Escarpment.