Rancho Siena is a neighborhood opened for sales in May of 2011 in far west Georgetown.  It is a D.R. Horton community with a nice Texas Hill Country location between Georgetown proper and Leander.  It really has some nice character to it, with rolling hills, magnificent and long views and water features.  The community is the CLN (Cedar Park Leander North) Area of the Austin MLS.

Homes for Sale in Rancho Siena

Location of Rancho Siena

Rancho Siena is in far west Georgetown.  The entrance is on Ronald Reagan Blvd. | Parmer Lane | Williamson County Road 268 just a half mile south of Hwy. 29.  Seward Junction at Hwy. 183 is just short of three miles to the west on Hwy. 29.  Adjacent to the east is the long-established community of Gabriel’s Overlook and a half mile south is the South Fork of the San Gabriel River.  Georgetown proper is seven miles to the east via Hwy. 29.  At some point, CR 268 will go on through to Hwy. 29, creating a second entrance into Rancho Siena.

About Rancho Siena

Rancho Siena is one of those places I consider to be ahead of its time in regards to capturing, accentuating and preserving that sought-after serene country living.  There is really nothing man-made around it.  So the air is clean and quiet, the views are long and unspoiled, and the night sky is filled with stars.  Wildlife abounds, too.  They share with their human counterparts the bounty of the Texas Hill Country, densely forested rolling hills and canyons, creeks, streams, springs and a pond.  A nice pond graces the entrance of Rancho Siena.

The two on-site representatives for D.R. Horton state that 19 sections will ultimately be built in six phases.  Currently, phase one with sections one and two are underway.  Completion is not expected until 2017 or thereabouts.  There are 540 acres and some 1,400 lots.  Homes will be built on 60-foot and 70-foot lots between $190,000 — $220,000, and $220,000 — $265,000 respectively.  Some of the nicer lots are cul-de-sacs.  Other nice ones are oversized and/or back to greenbelt areas.  The community itself is better prepared than most with implementation of drought-resistant xeriscaping principles.

Rancho Siena Homes and Floorplans

D.R. Horton will build on 60 and 70-foot wide x 130-foot deep lots.  Each home will come standard with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  There are ten plans for the 60-foot wide lots running from the smallest “Delaware” plan of 1,777 square feet for $201,400 on up to the largest “Monmouth” plan with 2,662 square feet for $223,500, base price.  On the 70-foot lots, there are now seven plans.  All come standard with 3-car garage, covered patio and separate tub and shower in the master suite.  The smallest is the “Dogwood” at 2,220 square feet for $229,700 and the largest is the “Davis” at 3,162 square feet for $262,400, base price.  The “Delaware,” “Amity,” and “Dogwood” plans now have loft with bedroom and half-bath options.  They are otherwise one-story plans.  At the time of this writing, the salespeople tell me D.R. Horton is paying two points towards the buyer’s interest rate buydown, all closing costs and giving $20,000 off the price plus two free upgrades.  These are pretty big deals and worthy of consideration by prospective buyers.  Rules and restrictions apply, of course.

Rancho Siena Amenities

Developers Newland Properties and William T. Gunn Partners met with builder D.R. Horton in Kansas City the weekend of Jan. 14-15, 2012, to determine what would be included in the amenity center and when it would be built.  The outcome of that meeting is likely not to be known for a while.  Watch this space for that important announcement when it comes.  We do know the amenity center will have a pool.  Master planned community amenity centers such as for Ranch Siena typically also have a picnic area, a playscape, perhaps a covered pavilion, some sporting venues and leisure trails for hiking, biking and walking.

Outside Rancho Siena and just a mile northeast is the championship golf course Cimarron Hills, bearing the same name as its host high-end community.  Other golf courses within reasonable drives are: Teravista at I-35 and FM 1431 in Round Rock, 10 miles; Crystal Falls on West Crystal Falls Pkwy. in Leander, 8 miles; and Avery Ranch at Parmer Lane and Avery Ranch Blvd. in Austin, 10 miles.

Cedar Park Center south on Hwy. 183A-Toll is just five and a half miles away, while City Park and Foundation Park in Liberty Hill are about the same distance.  Of course, Lake Travis is a big draw all year round and particularly in the summer.  The shortest route to the lake would be to Jones Brothers Park in Jonestown, nine miles to the southwest.  Lake Travis is Texas’ cleanest lake by acclamation each year and offers power boating, sailing, skiing, fishing, jet skiing, SCUBA diving, swimming and more.

Rancho Siena Utilities and Providers

Many homeowners here in the Central Texas area prefer gas to electricity when it comes to cooking in and heating the home.  D.R. Horton has heeded their preferences and supplied Rancho Siena with propane gas.  Ferrelgas, one of this area’s largest propane suppliers for many years, provides the gas.  Sewer services come from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) while potable water and waste water services come via the Chisholm Trail Special Utility District (CTSUD).  Pedernales Electric Coop (PEC) supplies electricity and Time Warner Cable offers cable TV and internet services.  Clawson Disposal collects trash once a week.  All lines for each utility are underground, preserving the uncluttered beauty of Rancho Siena.

Rancho Siena Schools

Not to be confused with being in the Cedar Park/Leander North MLS area or Georgetown for its address, Rancho Siena is part of the Liberty Hill Independent School District (LHISD).  It is a school district with a history of excellence in the classroom and on the field of competition.  Rancho Siena school children PK through first grade will attend Liberty Hill Elementary.  Second, third and fourth graders attend Burden Elementary School and fifth and sixth graders go to Liberty Hill Intermediate.  Liberty Hill Junior High takes seventh and eighth graders while Liberty Hill High School educates ninth through twelfth graders.

There are other schools in the area, including dozens in Georgetown, Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park and Austin.  Nearest are Growing Tree on Hwy. 29 and Bright Beginnings on west University Avenue in Georgetown.  Austin Community College has campuses with ten miles in Round Rock and Cedar Park.  Various faith-based schools are located in each of the surrounding communities mentioned.

Commuting to and from Rancho Siena

The commuter drive into Georgetown takes less than ten minutes.  Even less than that into Liberty Hill.  Into Leander and Cedar Park, the drive is five to ten minutes.  Most of Round Rock would be fifteen to twenty minutes and Austin is thirty to forty, depending on traffic flow.  If you wish to leave the driving to someone else, Capital Metro (Cap Metrorail) provides rail service from north Leander to downtown Austin at the Convention Center.  The rail station is located at Hwy. 183 and Old RM 2243 West just across the highway from the HEB Plus! grocery store and plaza.  You could also get on the train at the Lakeline station, located on Lakeline Blvd. in far north Austin just a mile east of Lakeline Mall and a mile north of RM 620.

Medical, Dining and Shopping Choices

Because Rancho Siena is not overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Austin and its suburbs, it is not at the literal doorstep of many socializing destinations.  They may come at a point in time, but that particular time is beyond comprehension right now.  Even so, all the open space between Rancho Siena and stores, medical facilities and dining is easily traversed in short order due to proximity to fast-moving Hwy. 29, Hwy. 183, Hwy. 183A-Toll nd Ronald Reagan Blvd. | Parmer Lane.  Once one any of these, the travel to shopping, dining and medical care is only ten minutes away, tops.  If you want to eat sooner than later, but not at home, I like Smokey Mo’s BBQ in Seward Junction, just south of Hwy. 183 and Hwy. 29.

Here are some of the places you can easily reach within ten minutes:

  • Wolf Ranch Town Center for stores and eateries, Georgetown
  • Rivery Towne Crossing for stores and eateries, Georgetown
  • Gateway Center for stores and eateries, Leander
  • 1890 Ranch for many stores and eateries, Cedar Park
  • Premium Outlet Mall for many stores and eateries, Round Rock
  • University Oaks Shopping Center for stores and eateries, Round Rock
  • Scott & White University Medical Campus, Round Rock
  • Seton Williamson Medical Center, Round Rock
  • Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, Cedar Park

Fifeen to twenty minutes away:

  • La Frontera for stores and eateries, Round Rock
  • Lakeline Mall for stores and eateries, north Austin
  • Boardwalk Shopping Center for stores and eateries, Round Rock
  • St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, Round Rock

Rancho Siena Real Estate

The neighborhood is young.  Most of the sales, if not all, through the Austin Central Texas Realty Information Service’s MLS system were new sales by D.R. Horton.  In the past year, there were only seven sales.  They averaged three bedrooms with a high of four and a low of three.  They averaged two bathrooms with a high of three and a low of two.  They ranged in size from 1,777 square feet up to 3,174 square feet with an average size of 2,527 square feet.  They sold between $195,000 and $303,600 with an average sales price of $244,656.  They were on the market from five to 199 days with an average of 72 days — just slightly under the Austin average of 84 days.

Rancho Siena tax rate is 2.699%.  There is no MUD or MUD tax.

Information deemed reliable as of 01/16/2012.