The Bee Cave Bee

The city council may not be able to control WHAT is built, but there has to be some restrictions. There is a valid concern here for the safety of the residents in this area. It is a known fact that this stretch of highway is dangerous due businesses coming in without proper road improvements. This dealership is being completely irresponsible in attempting to build here.

The city of Bee Cave does have ordinances, such as LIGHTS. And impervious cover. And safety. And drainage. A car dealership with those ordinances?
no way.

We'll sign petition, protest if necessary, engage our new commissioner, whatever else is necessary. Not only is it an eyesore it's a danger to our children on an already dangerous road. First and foremost, we can all keep from buying cars from any Covert dealerships. There are so many different dealerships in Austin we have free reign over where we can shop and as. Capitallists and consumers the almighty dollar speaks louder than any words.

The Covert dealership proposed skirts zoning restrictions because it is outside of the city of Bee Cave. However, any company that cares about the community would know that this is not the right thing to do. Putting a massive, noisy car dealership right on the edge of an existing neighborhood may not be illegal, but I would argue it is unethical. If business people have no moral compass, bad results follow.

The city council may not have a say about what can be built, but safety is well known issue on this stretch of highway. I drive 71 everyday–to let this type of building continue is completely irresponsible.

I support the fight against Covert's plans to build a busy car dealership literally less than 150 feet from houses where families live and streets where children ride their bikes. The Bee Cave City counsel told Covert that their dealership did not fit within its master development plans. Instead of listening to the community leaders, Covert exploited a zoning loophole and plans to open a dealership in the backyard of a residential neighborhood. Join us in our fight by going to No Covert In Bee Cave on Facebook or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nocovertinbeecave/

Maybe the City of Bee Cave can't stop them, but don't expect Bee Cave residents to roll over and let them come in without a fight. We'll do everything in our power to stop this. There is nothing worse for our beautiful hill country than a car dealership. Nothing! Nobody wants them here and they know that since the City already denied their request to move into city limits. For a family-owned company to try to steamroll over residents of a beautiful, family-oriented community is simply bad business, something I imagine Covert will soon figure out.

Covert will not build out here without a fight from all the neighbors not only within in Bee Cave, but in Lakeway, Spicewood, Belvedere, and Rocky Creek. Not only will we not buy from Covert if they build out here, but won't buy from them anywhere in the Austin area!! Please join us in this fight and help your fellow neighbors by attending the next City Council meeting and signing the petitions!!

Agree totally with the article. The Coverts need to move on! Who in their right mind would think it would be a good idea to connect all these businesses, (especially a busy car dealer with constant test drives and service appointments and new car shoppers) with a family neighborhood where children play? We bought houses here to enjoy the hill country, good schools, sports, starry skies....we didn't want to be close to city hassles, and knew car dealers were farther away, but big whoop a 30 minute drive. Who cares? this dealer will only pull business from their other locations. And the Covert Family is rude, greedy, inconsiderate and NOT family oriented or they wouldn't be building in the backyard of a family neighborhood in a community where they are NOT wanted and NOT needed!!!

The fact that this property is in the Bee Cave ETJ (barely and is surrounded by properties in the city limits) is proof that Covert is trying to force their way in where they are not wanted. They met with Bee Cave city council earlier this year and were told VERY clearly that we do not want a car dealership here. So...what did they do with that info?? They went and found a little piece of land right outside the best selling neighborhood in the area and bought it because Bee Cave city council cannot stop them. Sounds very shady and shows what kind of business they run. We tend to buy a lot of cars and I will NEVER buy from Covert if they follow through with this bad decision.

We've all seen the wrecks, and the skid marks in front of the location near where Covert wants to build their dealership. We also know about all the deaths on Hwy 71. Do the Coverts not care about how many wrecks, injuries and deaths they will cause by their efforts? Maybe they should consider waiting until Hwy 71 expands and allows for a middle turning lane. If the Coverts don't wait for that highway expansion, their efforts will undoubtedly kill Texans. Are short-term car sales really worth people dying? Covert must think so.

This is horrible. I moved here for the schools,beautiful property, and most important LOW TAXES. I didn't want to live in "downtown" Austin and yet it's finding us. Fight this and tell Covert we don't want to be the next motor mile.

This is a time of year when we should be planning get-togethers with family and friends, but unfortunately we are fighting against Covert building an unwanted dealership in the Hill Country/Bee Cave area - Merry Christmas!!!! This is nothing personal against Covert, but no dealership is welcome and Covert was told that no dealership was welcome in Bee Cave. Did they do the neighborly thing and walk away? No, they did a sneaky thing and went behind everyone's backs and purchased foreclosed ETJ land. Now they don't even have to adhere to the zoning in the Bee Cave area and are building next to a neighborhood and on a very treacherous part of 71. Building plans even show them putting a fueling station within 80' of a home and in close proximities of many other homes no more than 120' away. This is a disgrace to the Hill Country community that this dealership is going to bring unwanted traffic, unwanted noise, unwanted pollution, unwanted lights, unwanted damage to the environment and destroying beautiful Hill Country land. There was an article written in April 2010 http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/lady- birds-tradition-lives-on-1/nRrpG/ - wonder what happened to the rest of the family? Will they feel the same way the next time they drive out to their ranch or maybe they will just take another route?

Join us in our fight by going to No Covert In Bee Cave on Facebook or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nocovertinbeecave.

Covert is not wanted here and certainly not in the entrance to a neighborhood. This will affect all our property values and not to mention the extreme safety issues on 71 and people test driving cars on 71 and in neighborhoods that this will bring. Everyone in the Bee Cave, Spicewood and Lakeway area needs to band together to prevent Covert moving into and affecting our beautiful Hill Country living!

Just because you CAN purchase land and build a dealership backing up to citizen's fences, doesn't make it right to do so. Put yourself on the other side of the situation: if someone were building a big box store right behind your house, clearing all the trees and wildlife, with no regard for anything around them, how would you feel about it? Covert is a family owned, Austin based company of dealerships. Which theoretically would make them a perfect candidate in my mind to visit when I am looking to by a new car. However, knowing of their activity in the Hill Country has made me second-guess their motives and morals. I would like to think an Austin family-owned company would have some sensibilities in the preservation of the environment, and the lifestyle we all love as residents of this community (Hill Country). "Buy local" is something I try to do as much as possible. But no Covert dealership will ever get a dime of my money, and I will be sure and shout it from the rooftops to everyone I know to consider this as well. It is very clever of them to purchase land right outside the Bee Cave city limits so none of the ordinances will apply to them. Being a "good neighbor" is not being exhibited here. They choose land backing directly up to a family oriented neighborhood and erect a 3-story garage and install a humongous fuel cylinder? Not to mention the impact that noise, light and potential quality issues will have on the surrounding communities. And we haven't even begun to talk about the increased traffic along an already-dangerous stretch of road. Test drives, semi-trucks full of vehicles and fuel will no doubt make matters worse in this area. It's very disappointing indeed and I am truly saddened by the lack of consideration for the community by this company. I haven't seen too many other dealerships backing (literally) right up to private residential back yards and swing sets. Sad.

The city has no say but that shouldn't stop the people from expressing their opinions on the matter. A reasonable, responsible business would not put such a monstrosity right in the back yards of people who moved here to avoid that sort of thing. If I wanted to live closer to a car dealership I would have picked a neighborhood within driving distance to one of many on 35 or elsewhere. The majority of those residents chose Bee Cave, and chose the hill country to avoid the light pollution, to avoid the traffic noise, to avoid the hustle and bustle. Now the Falconhead West residents will be a stones throw away from this nonsense.

Stand Up Bee Cave! Make your voice heard. This does NOT only affect Falconhead West but other subdivisions too! You think you won't see the lights? You think you won't have to drive through the traffic and deal with the inevitable accidents test drivers will cause on already over crowded and dangerous roads? Think again and make your voice heard Bee Cave!

What were they thinking? They have so many high-end customers within the community and they're making them mad, along with the rest of the home owners. They will lose a lot of customers and repeat clientele which defeats their purpose of wanting to move to the area. They're not wanting. They're already being bad neighbors and they haven't even moved in yet. It's only going to get worse.

The test drives in the neighborhood are going to be fantastic with all the kids who live here and the 25 MPH limit that test drivers probably won't want to go by because they want to see how much power the cars have. I just see so much danger, and Coverts didn't think this through. They only saw cheap land and attacked.

Really, the best, and perhaps only, way to make this go away is to refuse to buy from Covert as long as this plan is moving forward. Even if they don't care about the impact to the community, we have to show that WE care. The other car dealers in the community are waiting to see the outcome before they make their own plans for expansion along 71. They won't let Covert "own" this area. There are other properties along 71 that are candidates for this sort of undesireable development. Speak with the only voice Covert (and GM) will hear and understand.
Don't buy from them until they reverse this irresponsible expansion decision.

Bad business plan Coverts! Look at the big dealership on 1431. It was built on a well traveled road near a residential area...clearing the most beautiful fields of Bluebonnets. Guess what happened...it FAILED! and it failed fast. Leaving it's empty concrete eye sore as a reminder. Build here and I will never buy from Covert and my friends will follow.

A car dealership is absolutely inappropriate right next to a residential neighborhood. The noise and light pollution will destroy the peaceful hill country atmosphere and the additional traffic will be a hazard on an already dangerous highway. This is completely irresponsible development.

#noCOVERTinbeecave

Building a car dealership on this property is condoning the destruction of the Hill Country. I have seen this area change so much since my family moved here in the 1970’s. While some change is good, a car dealership is not what this area needs. Traffic on Highway 71 is already awful on a very dangerous road, and the footprint a dealership will impose on our fragile eco-system is very irresponsible.

Covert needs to rethink their plans to relocate in our neighborhood and family friendly city of Bee Cave. We chose this neighborhood for the beautiful hill country and a sea of concrete will ruin the aesthetics of our neighborhood. Not to mention the impact it will have on the safety of our streets.

Covert...please reconsider your plans! Join us in our fight by going to No Covert In Bee Cave on Facebook or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nocovertinbeecave/

We are very upset over the possibility of having Covert so near our neighborhood. We have small children who are unsafe playing close to roads many will choose to use for test drives. Not to mention all the noise and other nuisances Covert would bring!

My husband's family, comes from a line of GM employees and we have always, up until now, have purchased and been loyal to GM. As much as I drive out to the 183 location for servicing, I don't mind the drive. However, a Covert in the backyard of a very residential, family oriented community , is not what I would call being "A Good Neighbor"!!!! I am not happy with Covert planning to build here for obvious reasons of safety, traffic and congestion. Not to mention it being very unsitely! Please, reconsider this decision ! We want to remain loyal Covert customers, but, we will have to reconsider our decision if this goes through, even if it is 5 minutes from our house!
Thank you . TH

This dealership moving into the area will affect the entire hill country, not just the residents of Falconhead West. While the FW residents are most obviously affected, the traffic, safety and general look of the area will be permanently affected by this move. Businesses of this kind have no place in this Hill Country area. Please Covert, stay where you will be more in keeping with other similar businesses. This stretch of Hwy 71 does not need to become the motor mile.

There are many reasons Covert should reconsider their plans. Bee Cave is a quiet, family-friendly community and no place for a car dealership. There are already too many traffic-related safety issues on Highway 71 in the proposed area. It would make more business sense for them to find a more centrally located area that has a highway system better suited for a car dealership. Many, if not all, of us moved to this area to enjoy hill country living- dark starry skies, peaceful environment, etc. There is growing anger and resistance from this community. Covert should take that into serious consideration and abandon their plans!

You are not welcome in Bee Cave! The location you have selected is in a residential area. Your presence will significantly lower property values for all nearby homeowners (your potential customers). The property in question is on a strecth of road which has no turn lane and no shoulder, making access dangerous. You obviously have little regard for the safety of your customers and employees. This is no place for a high traffic business. Please go elsewhere.

Covert needs to move their location else where. Falconhead West is a great residential location and bringing in a car dealership brings an increase in traffic and with it safety concerns unless the roads are properly expanded. Furthermore I'm concerned with the light polution an auto store created and with one auto store comes another.

We do not need a large dealership in a residential area.

My main message to family and friends over this new Covert dealership is to STAY AWAY from Covert. They are NOT family friendly and do not seem to care of the impact to a small community, so I would not trust what they would tell a new car buyer to get them to buy a car.

Covert needs to rethink their plans to build on 71 near Falconhead. This is not a family friendly move. Strangers, traffic, bright lights and noise will infiltrate the community. Homeowners will be forced out of the quiet community nestled in the Hill Country of Austin because their property values will plummet. Highway 71 will become a string of Car dealerships because if you see one, you see more. STOP this now and preserve our Hill Country lifestyle.

Of course I am against Covert moving into a residential community and agree we need to do whatever it takes to stop it. I haven't read all the posts so maybe it's in there, but I haven't seen anyone mention the dangers of "test drives" that would be coming through our streets. If they ever did get to build there, test drives would have to be absolutely forbidden!

On what basis would you propose test drivers are banned on public roads?

Bee Cave is NOT where dealerships are needed, or wanted!
This plan of Coverts to build in the hill country is so wrong on so many levels!
Such a bad business decision. Just what were you thinking?!?

After being in the military for 22 years, 8 relocations, and 3 deployments, our family bought a home in Bee Cave, TX hoping to finally settle down for a peaceful retirement. The hill country way of life in Bee Cave so far has been all that--unique, tranquil, easy, friendly, and simply "homey".
Now what value will the Covert Ford dealership/service station bring to the family community of Bee Cave? the industrial image of a Motor Mile, traffic problems from test drives and 18 wheelers hauling cars, light polution, noise polution, flapping flags and flying balloons.
Please help preserve the historical hill country way of life by joining the opposition of the development of Covert Ford Dealership in Bee Cave.