WIMBERLEY, Texas — On Tuesday, the Hays County Commissioners Court approved a $13 million purchase of more than 530 acres in western Hays County, with plans to conserve the land and open it to the public for hiking, biking and swimming.
The land along the Blanco River has been closed to the public for decades. The Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts owned the "El Rancho Cima" land for 60 years.
The area, 18 miles west of San Marcos, is located along Devil’s Backbone, a ridge along the Balcones Escarpment.
The county partnered with the organization, The Nature Conservancy in Texas, with Hays contributing $7 million and the nonprofit putting forward $6 million, with the promise the county will preserve the land.
Hays County will eventually pay Nature Conservancy its $6 million share, but the conservancy will retain a conservation easement on the land to prevent future development.
"It's just a beautiful property," said Lon Shell, the commissioner for Precinct three in Hays county. "The goal of the county will be to close on the remainder of the tract and then allow for that public use."
The Boy Scouts listed the land, off FM 32 just outside Wimberley, for sale in 2016 after the historic floods of 2015 wiped at least one of its buildings away. Originally, it was listed for more than $25 million for the entire 2,382 acres.
Shell wanted to try and buy the land for conservation then, but attempts to raise money weren't successful.
However, someone did eventually buy the property and split it up into smaller tracts of land, leaving a chance for Hays County to purchase land after all.
"Rarely can you find a property that benefits the mitigation side of things as well as this one does and also is suitable for public use," said Shell. "They'll see the value that that has of conserving some properties in the hill country and they can go back and look at that forever."
Shell said planning for the future park would take several years.
"We are working on a plan to allow limited access, preserve the warbler habitat during breeding season and develop and maintain trails and access to the Blanco River for the public to enjoy," he said.
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