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Who is Areté Collective?
Areté Collective is a vertically integrated development company focused on renewing the relationship between the land and the people who call it home. They take pride in delivering properties that intentionally bring people closer to nature while embodying low-impact principles at every step. Their intent is to bring together community and culture while thoughtfully preserving the unique aspects of the developed spaces and establishing vibrant new avenues for neighbors to convene and connect.
What is Thomas Ranch?
Areté Collective is creating a new frontier when it comes to Lake Travis living with Thomas Ranch, a master-planned community on 2,200 acres in Spicewood. Upon completion, Thomas Ranch will feature housing at various price points and a downtown district with more than 250,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and services open to the public. The community will also include education and specialized healthcare offerings. An extension of Thomas Ranch, Loraloma is the private community within the development that will house a boutique resort hotel, private 18-hole golf course, and residential options that range from two- to five-bedroom turnkey cottages, villas and estates, and a selection of custom homesites.
How many units and what type of housing will be built at Thomas Ranch?
Through a phased approach, there will eventually be capacity for 3,500 new thoughtfully conceived housing units. In addition to single-family homes, there will be multifamily offerings, townhomes, apartments for rent, senior living opportunities, and affordable housing.
What will the price range be for the homes of Thomas Ranch?
Thomas Ranch will offer a variety of housing options with unique price points for each category. For more information on pricing, please contact the sales team at info@thomasranchtx.com.
Will I be able to go to Thomas Ranch for shopping, dining, music and other cultural events?
Yes, Thomas Ranch and its vibrant new city center are meant to be something for the entire Austin community to enjoy. From shops and restaurants to a dynamic schedule of events and live music, Areté Collective invites all who are interested to experience. A future boutique hotel will also allow for overnight guests and staycations in the Hill Country at Thomas Ranch.
How can local businesses connect with Areté for potential opportunities?
Areté Collective is committed to supporting the local Austin community and invites any interested businesses to contact them at thomasranch@thomasranchtx.com to discuss potential partnership opportunities.
What waterfront activities will be accessible to the public at Thomas Ranch?
There will be some public access to the Pedernales River, as well as community pools throughout the property.
Which school district does Thomas Ranch fall under?
Initially, residents of Thomas Ranch will have access to Marble Falls ISD schools. There is also an opportunity for new schools to be built in the area to ensure all children within the district are receiving quality education.
What is Loraloma?
Loraloma is a private residential and resort community within Thomas Ranch situated on two miles of waterfront along the Pedernales and Colorado rivers and set against the idyllic backdrop of the Texas Hill Country. The community combines ecologically inspired residences with premium amenities, including fitness, wellness, culinary arts, equestrian, and nature-based experiences. These offerings and other envisioned features establish the community as the most amenitized master-planned development in Texas, and one of the most in the United States.
How many homes are being built as part of Loraloma?
In total, the private community will have approximately 450 uniquely crafted residences, which will be delivered in small quantity, phased releases. The development plans call for roughly 60% of the land to be undeveloped, so each home will have open access to the surrounding terroir—creating a ranch-like feel without the maintenance.
What floor plans will be available, and what range of square footage will the homes be?
Loraloma will include three home types ranging from cottages, villas and estates, with custom homesites also available. The intention is to cater to a wide variety of individuals seeking a fresh take on Hill Country living without sacrificing the culture that rests at Austin’s core. As such, the turnkey residential offerings will range from 2,500-10,000 square feet with two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom options available.
Who is leading sales for Loraloma?
Leading sales for Loraloma is IMI Worldwide Properties, the highly selective real estate brokerage known for working with some of the most celebrated luxury residential and resort communities across the globe. IMI Worldwide Properties brings over 30 years of expertise to the Loraloma team, as well as an innovative approach to marketing and sales that has nurtured their well-respected reputation.
What is the Founder’s Offering at Loraloma? What are the benefits?
Areté Collective and IMI Worldwide Properties are now accepting reservations for Loraloma’s exclusive Founder’s offering, which will allow 25 families to select a cottage, estate, villa, or custom homesite, all situated above the natural playground of Limestone Gulch. Pricing for homesites starts at $885,000 and homes at $1,995,000.
For a limited time, Founders can enjoy benefits valued at $450,000, including 20% pricing incentives on homes and homesites, first access to future phases of real estate, membership dues waived for 10 years and a full golf membership.
Who is designing the golf course at Loraloma and what will it entail?
Areté Collective has partnered with celebrated Scottish architect David McLay-Kidd of DMK Golf Designs to bring his first course in the Southern United States to Loraloma. The 18-hole, par-72 championship golf course is slated to play 7,060 yards from the back tees, covering 120 acres and fitting seamlessly into the community. Its wide variety of strategically placed holes range from shot-making par-4s to risk-reward par-3s—engaging players of all skill levels. Course play will be open to homeowners, members, and prospective buyers.
Who is the home builder attached to the project?
Areté Collective—the debut team behind Loraloma and sister company to Denton House Design—has a talented team of on-staff architects and interior designers who have designed the homes through the lens of luxury, sustainability, and a well-balanced life. Each home combines the quality, attention to detail, and refined elements of a custom build but with the abridged timeline of a developer product.
The team is currently in the selection process for wider builder partners for both Loraloma and Thomas Ranch. They are looking for companies that would value a partnership with a talented, design-centric developer and its vertically integrated team of architects and designers.
Will adding residential and commercial developments in Spicewood increase traffic and roadway accidents?
As the Austin region benefits from job creation and major capital investments, growing pains and challenges related to density are to be expected, including traffic, affordability, water planning, and other concerns. The best way to handle inevitable future growth is to plan for it and bring unique solutions to the table. This is exactly what Areté intends to do at Thomas Ranch, and there are currently plans to build new, safer roadways throughout Spicewood to decrease the number of accidents and increase efficient flow of traffic.
How does the land plan for Thomas Ranch address traffic?
When Areté put the plan together for Thomas Ranch, they studied all the recent accidents on this stretch of Highway 71 and wanted to specifically address how they would improve traffic flow in Spicewood. For the traffic impact analysis plan, they designed a road that cuts right through the middle of the project. This “spine road” is intended to become a signaled interchange that provides connectivity for Thomas Ranch, the town center, and the neighbors of Spicewood. This road combined with the fact that the project is mixed use, and a mixed income development, will lessen traffic impacts. In addition, there will also be a network of inclusive, all-ages pedestrian streets and trails throughout the development to keep those on foot out of harm’s way while connecting them to all the neighborhood’s amenities.
How many entrances and exits will there be for Thomas Ranch and Loraloma?
There will be over ten entrances and exits across Thomas Ranch and Loraloma.
When will construction begin for Thomas Ranch?
Areté Collective is currently in the early stages of development, with approvals and infrastructure coming into place over the next two years. However, early residential sales have begun with a full sales rollout in 2024, and construction will shortly follow in a phased approach.
When will construction begin for Loraloma?
Residential construction is scheduled to begin in Q4 2024, and amenity construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 as well.
When will construction begin for the David McLay-Kidd course?
Construction of the golf course at Loraloma is currently underway. The course is scheduled to open for select play in late 2024, with a full opening by spring 2025.
When are the homes expected to be complete?
The first homes at Loraloma will be delivered in 2025, and the full build-out of the community will happen gradually over the next 7-10 years. Thomas Ranch will be built out over the next 12-15 years.
Will this development fundamentally change the lifestyle of Spicewood?
Areté Collective’s intention is to enhance Spicewood by creating a new frontier when it comes to the area’s lifestyle, and they will work in sync with the community to make this happen. This mindset extends to their overall approach on what development can and should be, which is honoring the beauty of the land and the elements that make the Hill Country and Spicewood such a desirable place to live. With the help of its neighbors and future residents, they will define a new vision for what life beyond the center can be while meeting social, economic, and ecological objectives for a thriving community.
What are the plans for the 58-acre parcel acquired by Wasatch Premier Properties at Thomas Ranch?
Plans for the 58-acre site within downtown Thomas Ranch include nearly 100 townhomes and 500 apartments designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Hensley Lamkin Rachel Inc (HLR). Apartment units will range from 650 to 1,400 square feet, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom options. Two- and three-bedroom townhomes will also be offered on the property and will range from 1,400 to 1,700 square feet. In addition to the array of community amenities at Thomas Ranch, the new complex will have a dog park, swimming pool, spa, clubhouse, yoga and fitness studio, and more.
When will the new multifamily site be complete?
The 58-acre multifamily site in Thomas Ranch from Wasatch Premier Properties is scheduled to be delivered in early 2026.
What fire mitigation plans are in place?
Thomas Ranch has been aggressively performing fire mitigation work as part of its larger mission to protect the land and prepare the greater Spicewood area to withstand this sort of natural disaster. The operations undertaken thus far on Thomas Ranch and at Loraloma include creating shaded firebreaks by ridding a wide swath of the land’s north and east sides of small saplings, limbs, and dead trees. In total, Areté Collective has already recycled 20,000 linear feet (almost four miles) of silt sock for the Storm Water Prevention Pollution Plan.
What environmental impact will the development have overall?
Loraloma and Thomas Ranch will adopt ecological principles to integrate the development with natural systems. To promote local agriculture, they will incorporate on-site practices, educational programs, community-focused activities and spaces, and a commitment to local producers. To reduce the consumption of energy, they will implement passive design strategies for daylight, ventilation, and comfort. To conserve water, they will utilize surface and recycled water rather than groundwater, commit to recycled effluent, and incorporate a landscape palette that lessens water usage.
While in the development phase, what is Areté Collective doing to employ low-impact principles?
The Loraloma design guidelines support low impact Hill Country conservation by maintaining a lighter touch through a low-density land plan. For Loraloma, Areté is working around nature and only clearing homesites or future amenity spaces, resulting in a higher percentage of preserved natural vegetation and beautiful, protected views for the homes and lots.
One way this is done is by preventing the homes themselves from becoming visual impairments within the natural landscape by stepping down the visual impact of large and tall wall massing. It is often more expensive to design and build well, but Areté strives to maintain value for its members by providing them with focus views of the hilltops, vegetation, and open space.
What measures are in place to reduce water consumption?
As land stewards, Areté Collective understands the importance of reducing water consumption in today’s world. From the DMK golf course to the residential homes of Thomas Ranch, water conservation is at the forefront of their actions in reimagining how water will be used and reused within the community. Through Thomas Ranch and Loraloma’s preferred native plant palette, Areté also promotes less water usage over time.
The design guidelines support the greater Hill Country’s water conservation by offering its rainwater collection for landscape irrigation on home lots and amenities outside of the master plan community.
Will the David McLay-Kidd (DMK) course be considered sustainable?
The DMK golf course is being designed to forge a path for new conservation techniques. Not only will sections of the golf course be utilized as a nature preserve, but Loraloma and its course will be conserving water through a low water usage design, rainwater collection, and gray water recycling. The irrigation of the golf course is roughly 20-30% less than other courses and will eventually be fully watered by effluent water collected from gray water recycling. This process will be implemented on day one, and by full build-out Areté Collective will be saving 182 million gallons of water a year.
Will the homes at both Thomas Ranch and Loraloma feature eco-friendly design elements?
Thomas Ranch and Loraloma’s design guidelines have several resource efficiency strategies in place, including practices to minimize material waste, support recycling, and implement energy-efficient fixtures. These guidelines also call for the selection of environmentally responsible materials that are durable, long-lasting, locally made or indigenous to Texas, made with a significant percentage of post-consumer/post-industrial recycled materials, feature low toxicity, and produce low embodied energy.
What efforts are being made to protect the endangered Golden-Cheeked Warbler in the area?
Areté Collective worked with the Hill Country Conservancy to create the transportation corridor with a minimal footprint to preserve as much existing vegetation and topography as possible so that the Golden-Cheeked Warbler’s habitat would remain mostly intact. They also made a significant donated to Travis County for the establishment of new bird habitat adjacent to the existing wildlife refuge.
