In the late 90′s when maverick planners said Manor would become a booming population center, most of us in Austin scoffed. A few nice communities took off shortly thereafter and the development race was on to accommodate a fast-growing Austin MSA. Whisper Valley Ranch is going to be the next one, and it’s big.
Homes for Sale in Whisper Valley Ranch
There are no homes for sale in Whisper Valley Ranch yet. Keep watching this page and site for offered homes to appear. –Or contact me for information about how the community is progressing.
Whisper Valley Ranch Location
Whisper Valley Ranch is inside the City of Austin and is best described as just west of the City of Manor. It is north of Hwy. 290 and FM 734 | Parmer Lane. It is east of the new (2007) Texas Hwy. 130 Toll | SH130 and west of Gregg Manor Road. The 2,063 acres of Whisper Valley Ranch includes the former site of Manor Downs racetrack. When Braker Lane extension reaches this far east, it will be right next to this new community. It shares a border with the Travis County Northeast Regional Park and an area of rolling hills, valleys and creeks.
Whisper Valley Ranch Will Be…
The sheer size of this community means the master-planned Whisper Valley Ranch will be very large and flush with amenities. It will be a mixed-used project in the category of “New Urbanism,” meaning it will be an eco-friendly community with much of the needed low, medium and high-density housing within it, and 265 acres for office and retail to create that sense of place and peace. Plans call for 4,800 single family homes, 2,600 townhomes and apartments, and nearly two million square feet of office and retail. Builders will be selected in 2012 after road, wastewater treatment plant and water transmission lines are constructed by the developer, Taurus of Texas Holdings, LP. Taurus plans to spend between $1.5 and $2 billion on the project.
Whisper Valley Ranch Amenities
Once its reached a pre-specified number of residents, Whisper Valley Ranch will be flush with amenities. It will stress ecology and the natural, so the walking and jogging path along Gilleland Creek will be the feature attraction. Avoidance of environmental snafus, minimal creek corssings and vegetation impact will be at forefront as Taurus works with the City of Austin to plan, design and construct 13,400 lineal feet of pipe along Gilleland Creek.
There will be open spaces for active and passive uses. These are to further facilitate the creation of multiple town centers within Whisper Valley Ranch. Their goal is to be a major component of this sustainable green development right on the doorstep of Texas Hwy. 130 Toll | SH130.
Outside of the community is the Travis County Northeast Regional Park, a recreational mecca on 272 acres. Travis just installed improvements totaling $15 million. The park and its amenities are accessible by foot from Whisper Valley Ranch and include:
- 11 lighted soccer fields
- 9 baseball and softball fields
- numerous stocked fishing lakes
- walking and jogging trails
About Taurus of Texas Holdings, LP
The company is based in Ft. Worth and its local partner, Douglas Gilliland, is a second generation developer and past president of the Texas Association of Builders. He is proud to proclaim that this, “will be a very unique new addition to the east Austin area.” Taurus of Texas is one of 16 subsidiaries of Taurus. Taurus was founded in 1976 and has been owner/operator of more than 10 million square feet of real estate worldwide, purchasing and selling office, industrial, retail, residential and hotel assets in excess of 20 million square feet. It began operating in the United States in 1979.
Whisper Valley Ranch Proximity to Employers and Attractions
Within a ten-minute drive to the west on Parmer Lane | FM 734 or East Braker Lane are several major employers. Chief among them are:
- Dell Computer
- Samsung Semiconductor
- Applied Materials
The Austin CBD is nine miles away, as is the University of Texas and Texas state capital complex. Austin Bergstrom International Airport | ABIA is a ten-minute drive to the south. Bird’s Nest Airport is just two miles north.
One of my favorite places in the area is the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm. It’s where old meets new and always has some fun things going on for the family. It is four and a half miles west near East Braker Lane and Dessau Road.
Information deemed reliable as of 12/10/2011.
