Historic property sited for growth

Historic property sited for growth

Written by Christi Covington Thursday, 07 February 2008

A family’s vision

• 1850s - The Avery’s ancestors, Arvid and Anna Lena Nelson, settle land near FM 1460 and University Boulevard.
• 1910s - John A. Nelson helps open Trinity Lutheran College in downtown Round Rock.
• 2005 - The Round Rock Higher Education Center opens on University Boulevard.
• 2008 - Seton Medical Center Williamson opens on University Boulevard.

Described by Mayor Nyle Maxwell as the last raw frontier of Round Rock, the open farmland at FM 1460 and University Boulevard often intrigues developers.

John Avery, who owns the property of more than 1,000 acres with his brothers Charles and Nelson and sister Christina Fell, said buyers regularly come to his downtown law office wanting to invest in the land, which is already home to the Round Rock Higher Education Center and Seton Medical Center Williamson.

His family, which traces back to some of the community’s first settlers, does not plan to sell too quickly. They are not developers. They can just claim farmland and a rich heritage, John said.

“We have a gift that is from five generations of pioneers who worked, so we thought, ‘What would be a memorial to their efforts?’” he said.

His answer: A mecca of education and medical resources.

If anyone wants to build on the Avery land, they must prove their project would fit this niche, John said.

Dream for the farm

In the end, he would like to see an authentic town center development. Students and doctors would come to study or practice in the area and then complementary residential and commercial growth would fill those needs. He does not want to build houses and hope people come because he thinks a sustainable community first requires a reason for people to come, such as a school or a hospital.

That is why the Averys offered to donate nine acres to Austin Community College and 15 acres to Texas A&M University. They previously gave 101 acres for the RRHEC, which is a Texas State University-San Marcos campus that has plans to expand.

“We are glad to do it, if you will build bigger, better, faster,” Charles Avery said.

In May, Round Rock voters will decide whether to join ACC’s taxing district. The two-year college system wants to build its largest campus on University Boulevard, which would serve around 10,000 students.

“If [the proposition] passes, then the campus will break ground the next day,” Charles said.

Another project began to form after the Texas Legislature dedicated $9 million in 2007 to Texas A&M to support a Round Rock medical program. Now the school plans to bring around 16 medical students in the third year of studies this June who will work within the Scott & White, Seton, St. David’s HealthCare and Lone Star Circle of Care systems.

The administration staff has leased space in Old Town Square on IH 35 near Hwy. 79 where it will stay for the next two years. For a permanent campus, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents decided Jan. 25 to accept the offer, as well as purchase an additional 10 acres at a reduced price for $1,306,800. The fair market value for the total property is estimated to be more than $8 million.

With these major colleges and hospitals in place, John said he will allow other development to build on the farm only when it matches the vision. At this point, the land is zoned agriculturally, although the infrastructure such as water and utilities is in place.

A portion of the former Missouri-Kansas railroad right-of-way cuts through the family land. It is a corridor that may be a part of the proposed Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail, which would run from Georgetown to San Antonio. John said he supports the concept with limitations — he wants a station on the Avery farm.

Then an intra-community bus line could circulate around the schools and go down University Boulevard to the Round Rock Premium Outlet, Scott & White University Medical Campus and IKEA, Charles said. It would be similar to the ‘Dillo trolley in downtown Austin.

Domino effect

The concept is a little different from past endeavors. With their cousins, the Averys also used to own the land, which is now the Avery Ranch community along Parmer Lane.

When relatives expressed a desire to sell the property, John said they asked it “be developed in a respectful way.”

They donated more than 100 acres for a golf course to make sure the property would maintain value no matter who owned it. After everything was sold, that was the end of plans for major property ventures. He, his brothers and sister planned to leave the farm for a future generation.

Then Seton Family of Hospitals representatives approached the family.

The Averys had a long-standing relationship with the healthcare system. All of John’s siblings were born in Austin at the old Seton Infirmary, his father was an attorney for them and their mother was on the Seton Development Board.

Charles said his father, whose first name he bears, was a strong Baptist, but laughed that he was involved with the Catholic Sisters of Charity through Seton to cover all his bases.

So the Averys agreed to sell the land. Ground broke in September 2006, and this month Seton Medical Center Williamson opens as one of the largest Central Texas hospitals with more than 360,000 sq. ft. of space. The Averys also donated $1 million in December to the Seton Williamson Foundation in memory of their parents.

Since then, John has seen increased interest in the remainder of the property.

The donations are what their ancestors would have wanted, he said. In the 1850s, Arvid and Anna Lena Nelson settled the area. Their descendents eventually built Palm Valley Lutheran Church — and included a school. Later in the early 1900s, John A. Nelson led the community to give nine acres, $7,000 and a well for Trinity Lutheran College in Round Rock, according to historian Karen Thompson. Eventually in 1929, due to financial strains, the school joined with another campus and moved to Seguin to become Texas Lutheran University. The building, which is still on Main Avenue, is now Trinity Care Center.

John points to a Biblical parable as his family’s motivation for their land use. In the Book of Matthew, three servants are entrusted with their master’s gold. One of the servants keeps it safe until the master’s return, while the other two “put his money to work” and double the amount.

“We feel like this is our time, our place,” John said. “We believe the highest and best use is something that helps our community.”

What could be

When higher education insititutions began to express interest in the property around FM 1460 and University Boulevard, the Avery family prepared this plan for what the future could hold for their property.

Round Rock Higher Education Center, opened 2005

Austin Community College plans to build its biggest campus to serve around 10,000 students at this site if Round Rock voters approve the city joining the ACC taxing district. The election is May 10.

For the story about the ACC petition, read our June archives at www.impactnews.com.

The Avery family has donated 15 acres at this site and offered to sell additional property to Texas A&M Univeristy for a me dical campus. The Texas A&M System Board of Regents accepted the offer Jan. 25.

If funding becomes available, the Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail might run along the abandoned Missouri-Kansas rail corridor from Georgetown to San Antonio by 2012. If that happens, the Avery family would like a rail station in the community.

For the story about commuter rail, see our January archives at www.impactnews.com.

Seton Medical Center Williamson opens this month as the largest hospital in the county.

Tour the center at www.impactnews.com.