Zoning OK’d for Serene Hills site to allow Lake Travis Fire & Rescue station

The Lakeway Zoning and Planning Commission on Wednesday approved an ordinance rezoning roughly 3.182 acres on the west side of Serene Hills Drive so Lake Travis Fire & Rescue can build a new fire station that staff said would serve nearby subdivisions and apartments.

Commissioners voted 7‑0 to change the property’s zoning from R‑3 (0 lot line single‑family) to GUI (government/utility/institutional). The parcel is described in staff materials as TCAD property ID numbers 805249 and 827481 and was reported as owned by Water District 17; staff said the district carved out the piece to sell to the fire authority.

The approval follows a staff presentation saying the planned station would serve an area of Lakeway that includes “262 single family residential houses and 300, and 2 apartment units,” and that the site is consistent with the city’s future‑land‑use map and comprehensive plan. Staff also showed how far existing Lake Travis stations are from the location: about 4.1 miles to Bee Cave, 4.7 miles to a Lakeway station, and 5.8 miles to Spicewood; staff said the new station would reduce response gaps in the area and the department places the Flint Rock Road station about 2.9 miles from the proposed site.

Why it matters: the rezoning clears the way for a public safety facility in an area residents and commissioners said has heavy morning and afternoon congestion. Several commissioners and a resident asked how the fire service will safely exit the site onto Serene Hills Drive and whether traffic projects planned in the thoroughfare plan will be timed with the station’s construction.

During citizens participation, resident John Wickens, who lives in Bee Cave but owns property in Lakeway, urged clearer, larger rezoning notification signs and urged the city and the fire district to coordinate station construction with planned Serene Hills widening. “That is an extremely congested road, especially in the morning ... [it] is single lane road that is very difficult to get that ... fire truck out of that fire station and make a left hand turn to go down the hill,” Wickens said.

Commissioners pressed staff on timeline and alternatives. Erin (staff), who led the staff presentation, said the fire authority is in the design phase and is assembling a site‑development plan; she told commissioners the district expects the Serene Hills station to be built “in the next two years” while the Flint Rock Road station is planned “four or five years out.” Commissioners and staff noted the site plan shown to ZAPCO was conceptual: “they literally took a plan from another fire station and dumped it in that lot to see if it would work,” staff said, adding geotechnical work and driveway alignment stay subject to later design review.

Commissioner questions and legal limits: commissioners asked whether the city could require the fire authority to place the station elsewhere. City counsel explained a longstanding legal principle — citing a 1970s case involving Austin ISD and the City of Sunset Valley — that a municipal zoning body generally cannot dictate the location choices of another governmental entity; a city may inspect and condition site details for life‑safety compliance but not direct a governmental agency where to locate its core facilities.

Outcome and next steps: the rezoning (agenda item 9) passed 7‑0. Staff said additional development steps remain: the fire district must complete design, submit a site‑development plan and other construction permits, and work with city engineering on driveway alignment and required life‑safety features. Commissioners repeatedly requested that staff and the fire district address ingress/egress design and automatic warning measures (for example, emergency lights or traffic signal coordination) before final engineering approvals.

Ending: With the rezoning approved, Lake Travis Fire & Rescue can proceed to design and permitting for the Serene Hills station; staff said it will continue coordinating timing with transportation planning and county/state partners for any major roadway improvements.