BEE CAVE, Texas — The city of Bee Cave is getting closer to building its first affordable workforce housing.
Bee Cave is known for its high-class charm.
"The only thing you have to worry about around here is kids messing with your car," Joseph Latini, who works in Bee Cave, said.
Bee Cave Director of Communications Jenny Hoff said homes in the city average around $1 million, and an apartment can range from $2,300 to $3,500 a month.
"So that's just unaffordable for a large part of the population," Hoff said.
Latini found that out the hard way. He's been bartending at the popular Hill Country Galleria for the past five years and for the first few years, he lived in Bee Cave.
"I lived in the apartments behind me, which are in the Galleria as well. And then those got pretty pricey, so I had to move," Latini said.
Latini said he moved to Dripping Springs, where he is renting a four-bedroom house with land for the same price. But the commute is costly.
"On a bad day, basically you pay for gas to get here and go home. So you're basically not making any money," Latini said.
Many middle-class workers in Bee Cave are dealing with this unaffordability, so the city is planning to use a 22-acre city-owned tract of land to build affordable workforce housing. It's called the Skaggs Property because it's located on Skaggs Drive, between Bee Cave Parkway and State Highway 71.
"So, the goal of this workforce development would be people that make between 50% and 60% of the median income, up to about 80% of the median income," Hoff said.
Hoff said, for example, that a family of four that makes between $50,000 and $80,000 a year will qualify. She said it will reduce the average two-bedroom apartment's monthly cost from $2,300 to about $1,100.
There are concerns about traffic because the property sits between two major roadways, Bee Cave Parkway and SH 71. Hoff said the city updated its thoroughfare plan to include more local roads earlier this year. She also said the city has built 11 miles of trail.
"Where this workforce housing development would go is very close to Bee Cave Central Park, where our trails are located, and they take you around the city," Hoff said. "So the idea is that also, eventually, you'll be able to get any point in our city – to the shops, to homes, to the neighborhoods – on our trail system, whether you're bicycling or walking."
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Another concern from some residents is maintaining the city's character, which Hoff said is a top priority. She said she is excited about the city's pool of potential developers.
"We have had a huge response," Hoff said. "So from within Bee Cave, to outside the city limits, to outside the state even, of developers that really want to have a chance to build this beautiful development."
Hoff said the city hopes to choose a developer by June and start building in 2025.
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