Draper's Cove residents urge Lago Vista to limit public access to neighborhood park

Several Draper's Cove residents told the Lago Vista City Council during public comment that they want the city to restrict public access to Draper's Cove Park and to clarify whether a change to public access requires a new Planned Development District (PDD) approval.

Lydia McBride submitted a written statement asking the council to consider the residents’ dissatisfaction with “the firefly turning parks into public access in Drapers Cove.” She asked the council to “go down there and see for themselves.”

Jane Bramblett, a Draper's Cove resident, told the council the community has used the park for more than 30 years for holidays, fireworks, boating, fishing and swimming and said residents feel “left in the dark” about who will have access. Bramblett said the park should remain for Firefly residents rather than become broadly public, and she raised concerns about traffic, noise and the effect on neighborhood character.

Carol Smith, who said she lives at 3109 Draper's Cove and that her lot includes about 18 acres extending to the middle of the lake, told the council she had reviewed prior meetings and believed the PDD did not authorize public access to the neighborhood park. Smith said she would like the city to require a new PDD vote before changing access, and she expressed concern about parking, trespassing, heavy-equipment traffic on Cooper Lane, mud on neighborhood roads, and a proposed boat ramp location she described as ending at a “big cliff.”

Residents noted existing trespass issues on neighborhood roads and questioned whether the development’s access agreements were intended to allow citywide public use of the park. Several people who signed up to speak were not present when the council recessed into executive session; a Craig Pfeiffer left written comment objecting to the municipal park change, and Gary Lipscomb left a comment opposing the change. Muriel Cook requested criteria for monitoring access at the end of Draper's Cove.

The council recessed into executive session shortly after public comment and later reconvened to act on other business; the meeting record shows no formal council action or vote was taken on park-access policy during this session.

Ending: Residents asked the council for clearer communication and for the council to pursue a formal PDD process if access is to change. The transcript records their concerns but does not record any directive or timeline from council on the park-access questions.