Spicewood Texas News: Growth Is Moving at Two Speeds

Two projects have drawn attention in Spicewood this year. One is a wellness resort estimated at close to $122 million, with a two-Michelin-star chef and a target September opening. The other is a new library building behind the 47-year-old existing branch; Friends of Spicewood Community Library sought another $60,000 in mid-July to close in the shell of the new building.

These projects are moving on different timelines: the resort has a September target opening, while the library is being built in phases as fundraising continues. If you live in Spicewood, both projects are unfolding in the community this year.

The resort clock is already counting down

Canyon Ranch is building a roughly 600-acre wellness resort at 600 Moonlight Bend, and state licensing filings put the project at close to 223,739 square feet with an estimated cost near $122 million. The company hired two-Michelin-star chef Val M. Cantú to run Estella, the resort's signature restaurant, and reservations opened back in March. The Austin American-Statesman reported a target opening of September 2026, which puts Estella's debut about a month out from today.

Estella itself will be reserved for overnight resort guests and property owners, but a more casual café on-site is expected to serve a wider audience, which is the detail that actually matters if you are not booking a suite. Cantú has talked about building the menu around local farmers and on-site production, including a relationship to source heirloom corn from Mexico, while keeping heavier dishes off the lineup to stay in line with the resort's wellness focus. There is also a 134-lot subdivision called Moonlight Bend tied to the resort, along with a proposed municipal utility district to handle water and wastewater for the surrounding area, a sign that residential development is also planned in connection with the resort.

The golf course and marina are moving on a similar timeline

A few miles away, Travis Club is turning a 1,500-acre stretch of the southwest shore into nearly 700 custom homesites, ranging from just under half an acre to more than 3 acres, with homesite pricing starting in the early $700,000s. As of early May, the developer reported 150 closed listings, with more than 35 homes already in design review and 10 under active construction, according to Community Impact. First move-ins are targeted for early 2027.

The amenities are arriving ahead of the houses. The community's members-only golf course, designed by Beau Welling of Frisco's Fields Ranch West and Pelican Golf Club in Florida, was on track to open by mid-2026. A private marina was slated to break ground sometime this year, and the Golf House, with a golf shop, dining, and hitting bays, was expected to break ground before the end of last year. Early builders on the project include Cedar & Oak, Texas Sage Custom Homes, Sendero Homes, and Elev8 Builders. In Community Impact's report, Travis Club's director of sales, Chris Wells, said when construction began:

"Breaking ground on our first homes marks the beginning of Travis Club truly coming to life."

The golf course and marina move first. The homes people will actually live in follow a year or two behind.

The library project continues

The Spicewood Community Library is a 6,000-square-foot facility rising behind the current 1011 Spur 191 branch, which library leadership describes as 47 years old and deteriorating rapidly. In Community Impact's report, Friends of Spicewood Community Library board president Beth Cottingham explained the stakes:

"The building's condition and inadequate space is limiting the library's ability to effectively fulfill its mission."

The project broke ground on January 8. By that point the group had raised just over $900,000 toward a $2 million goal. Six months later, in a July 16 update, the Friends group sought another $60,000 to cap the outer shell of the first two construction phases. The library project is being funded and built in stages, with fundraising continuing alongside construction.

Neither pace is wrong. They are just different systems, and living in Spicewood right now means watching both of them operate on the same map.

A restaurant relocation amid local development

One local development-related change took place on Highway 71. La Cabana Bar & Grill's longtime location at 21103 W. Hwy. 71 was demolished in December to make way for a new road serving Lake Travis ISD's incoming high school. Owners Linda and Chip Holt relocated the Tex-Mex restaurant, known for tamales, fajitas, and a full bar, to the former Apis Restaurant site, reopening on January 31, according to Community Impact.

The relocation illustrates how a school-related road project affected a longtime local business.

Spicewood this month

Spicewood’s summer routines continue alongside these development updates. Lake Travis sat at 99.2 percent full as of August 9, according to waterdatafortexas.org, which is about as good as boating and swimming conditions get on this lake. Pace Bend Park, with more than nine miles of shoreline and high limestone cliffs on its west side, has reservations open through the rest of August, and September reservations opened up earlier this month. Primitive camping is available at the Kate and Johnson cove, tucked into a Post Oak grove, and at North Gracy, which has cliffside lake views, both first-come, first-served according to Travis County Parks.

At Angel's Icehouse, the weekly rhythm hasn't slowed down for any of this. Taco Tuesday, Wine Down Wednesday, and Pints & Pies on Thursdays keep running alongside live music on the patio, and the icehouse marked the turn toward fall with a Back to School Bash earlier this month. J5 Steakhouse, Poodie's Hilltop Roadhouse, and Opie's Barbecue are still exactly where they've always been, doing exactly what they've always done, unaffected by any of the announcements above.

Spicewood in August 2026 has projects at different stages: a resort targeting a September opening, a library under construction, a members-only golf course, and a restaurant that has relocated in connection with a road project. Together, these updates describe several changes taking place in the area.

If you're trying to make sense of what any of this means for a specific property or a specific move, Sarah McAloon tracks these Spicewood shifts as they happen, not after they've settled into a market report. Browse current Spicewood homes for sale or schedule a personal consultation to talk through what the next year of development actually means for your corner of the lake.