Developer proposes phased plan for 32 Cerna subdivision; family members press court to secure cemetery access

At a Dec. 10 discussion-only item, the owner of the 32 Cerna tract told the Caldwell County Commissioners Court he plans a two‑phase approach intended to make prior buyers whole and to restore compliance on a site that previously had unpermitted homes.

Patrick Tighe, who identified himself as the current owner, said he bought the property about five months earlier after foreclosure of a prior developer. He proposed selling 14 lots in a front cul‑de‑sac to the 12 families who had paid the prior developer, crediting those families for amounts they had already paid, appraising the completed lots, and offering owner financing through traditional deeds. Tighe said fully developing the back portion of the project will require a TxDOT‑approved turn lane and an estimated $1,000,000 in roadwork; the back portion would be two 10‑acre tracts developed as build‑to‑rent with shared septic systems capped below 5,000 gallons per day to allow county permitting.

County planner Tracy Bratton noted the site’s history of unpermitted construction and repeated environmental‑enforcement visits and said an on‑site cemetery must retain uninterrupted access under state law; any development agreement would have to address cemetery ingress and egress.

Lydia Serna, who said she represents the Serna family and that relatives are buried in the Serna Cemetery on 32 Serna Drive, described repeated access problems: she said driveway access has been blocked, cemetery gates and fences damaged, trash dumped on the burial plot, and visitors threatened. "I fear for my life because people are threatening me when I go out there," Serna told the court, and she asked the commissioners to ensure the family’s frontage and access rights are protected as the concept plan moves forward.

Linda Hinkle, a nearby resident, urged that cemetery plots be designated in the plat and provided free, uninterrupted access without routing visitors through private yards; she also asked the county to ensure septic, floodplain and tax issues are addressed in the concept plan.

Commissioners pressed the developer on the TxDOT turn‑lane timing and sought assurance TxDOT will approve the traffic plan; staff said a traffic impact analysis (TIA) and a meeting with TxDOT are in progress but the turn lane is not yet approved. Commissioners also asked county staff to coordinate a meeting with the City of Lockhart and TxDOT before the court commits to permitting or construction sequencing. No vote or development agreement was adopted at the meeting; the court left the item open for follow-up and directed staff to continue coordination.