More people moving to Horseshoe Bay; fire department, city plan for growth

HORSESHOE BAY, Texas (KXAN) --- A popular Central Texas travel destination is welcoming in a lot of new homes to the area.

Officials in Horseshoe Bay said in the last five years, they've seen fast growth with people moving to the community permanently.

It even prompted the fire department to get a new tool to help firefighters escape from tall buildings.

'We've got to be prepared'

Horseshoe Bay Fire Chief Doug Fowler said the new device is called an escape system.

It helps firefighters quickly evacuate a tall building through a window.

"You've got a belt, which is kind of a part of a harness that the system is connected to. You have it at all times," Chief Fowler said. "You got a hook, and you find an anchor point. It could be a stud in a wall, or it actually could be the actual windowsill."

Fowler said they recently ordered some for the firefighters. The department saw a growing need with the construction of taller buildings in the area.

"We've got over 40 buildings that are three stories or higher. The more type of buildings we have with that kind of height, the greater possibility that something like this can happen. So we've got to be prepared."

Chief Doug Fowler, Horseshoe Bay Fire Department

The fire department feels the growth as well.

"Over the last five years, our call volume has doubled," Fowler said. "So we see it. It's not going to slow down."

With that in mind, Fowler said the department plans to expand.

"More facilities, more apparatus, more personnel," Fowler said. "So that way we can do our jobs effectively and safely."

'Boom start hitting'

Horseshoe Bay City Manager Jeffrey Koska said after people started having the option to work from home, their population grew.

"About five years ago, we started seeing the boom start hitting around our area," Koska said.

Koska said in 2018 they had 25 permits to build homes, but that number dramatically jumped by 2022.

"We went to 260 [permits]," Koska said. "It's reduced a little bit over the last couple of years to 180 to 190 new homes that are being built, but we have some developments that are coming in."

Koska said growth is inevitable but they want to do it in a way that preserves their natural beauty.

"We're working with those developers to come up with what kind of fits well with our community."

Jeffrey Koska, Horseshoe Bay City Manager

Koska said they're currently working on a comprehensive plan for Horseshoe Bay that will help them map out the next 15 to 20 years.

"Land use is really the first part to kind of get our input from our community," Koska said. "Then our departments will kind of hone in on the initiatives that the council chooses for us to do."

The city will host a town hall meeting in September to get input from people in the area. They'll follow that up with surveys to the community as well.

"We're asking our residents how they want to grow our city," Koska said. "We know we have to grow. But we are very protective, and we want to do smart growth."