Travis Ranch Moms are at it again!

After a highly successful pool party yesterday, they’re planning a special event for women and women business owners in Travis Ranch.

The event will take place at the Travis Ranch Pavilion on Thursday, May 17th from 7:30 – 8:30 pm.

From Travis Ranch Moms:

Neighborhood home-based biz owners have a chance to show their goods while other ladies come to browse, sample and EAT some yummy treats! Shopping, dessert and socializing! Make plans to come!!

There are a few rules as well for business owners and you can get more info on Facebook.

Travis Ranch Moms are organizing a neighborhood pool party.

Sunday, May 6, 2012
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Come on out and meet your neighbors!

Bounce House, Burgers, Hot Dogs and Sides plus Fun for the Whole Family!

Let us know if you are coming and if you are willing to bring a side or dessert!

Email: texasheather@yahoo.com or visit “Travis Ranch Moms” Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/travisranchmoms and “like” the event postings.

And as a reminder – the Travis Ranch Pool opens this weekend, May 4. Summer may now officially begin.

Subway | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

I’ve been asking folks on my Twitter and Facebook accounts about their favorite eating spots in the North Texas area – but no one seemed to mention any of the great places in Forney.

So how bout it – are there any notable places in Forney?

What are your favorite eats in Forney?

Share your picks in the comments below.

I received an email this week asking about the ownership of the property at the end of Travis Ranch Blvd.

I am trying to find out if Travis Ranch owns the property at the end of Travis Ranch road that backs up to Lake Ray Hubbard. My family and I have had access to the lake for fishing for the Past 3 years since we moved into Travis Ranch. It was our understanding that a marina was to be developed there in the next couple of years. Last night when we walked back there to go fishing at the cove the sherriffs department drove up and told us that we were trespassing and asked us to leave. The farmer that owns the land behind Travis Ranch had called the sheriff’s department and stated that the land was his.

A little digging through the info from the Kaufman County Appraisal District shows that as of the latest maps (2011) the bulk of the property between the North end of Travis Ranch Blvd and Lake Ray Hubbard is owned by CTMGT TRAVIS RANCH LLC – Centurion Management (the developer of Travis Ranch).

It looks like there is also a buffer of land (12 acres) around Lake Ray Hubbard that is still owned by the City of Dallas (they have similar buffers around most of the lake.)

All the promotional material for Travis Ranch suggests that this will be developed as a marina in the near future. However, while the ownership of the land is currently showing Centurion Management, that doesn’t mean the company hasn’t made other arrangements with someone else to lease or manage the property.

I’ve also noticed that several other areas owned by Centurion Management (currently undeveloped areas around Travis Ranch) have signs posted for “No Trespassing.”

So perhaps Centurion is simply cracking down on folks who have been riding ATVs and such in the area.

I’ve highlighted the property areas with the corresponding IDs so you can see where the property lines lay. You can also see most of the property lines on Google Maps as well.

View the property map image full size.

Property: #11463
Owner: CITY OF DALLAS

Property: #72460
Owner: CTMGT TRAVIS RANCH LLC

Property: #72459
Owner: CTMGT TRAVIS RANCH LLC

Property: #11464
Owner: CTMGT TRAVIS RANCH LLC

Property: #11461
Owner: CTMGT TRAVIS RANCH LLC

I’ve sent emails to a few folks at Centurion to see if we can get to the bottom of this issue for sure.

I’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE: As of 4/20/12 I received a callback from a representative of Centurion Management. He informed that that the property in question IS still private property and there is likely a lease in place but that regardless of the lease or not, the property is not considered “community property” like the parks and other amenity areas around Travis Ranch.

The Centurion rep said that while keeping people off the property has not been strictly enforced in the past, the property is still private property for the time being.

So from the sound of it, there’s not a lot of options for residents in Travis Ranch to access the lake from this area. And the property owners have every right to block access to the property (and the lake).

I’m sure it comes down to liability issues for both Centurion and whoever might be leasing the property.

Garage Sale

Just happened to drop by the HOA website today and saw that the community garage sale is scheduled for this weekend – April 12, 13 and 14.

Anyone planning a garage sale this weekend?

The annual Travis Ranch HOA meeting is coming up April 19, 2012 at 7 pm.

The meeting will be held at Lewis Elementary (1309 Luckenbach) and sign in begins at 6:45 pm.

According to the notice mailed to Travis Ranch home owners, the purpose of the meeting will be to review the approved 2012 Operating Budget for Travis Ranch.

If you have any questions, please direct them to the HOA Manager at 214-451-5450.

I won’t be able to attend – so anyone want to be our roaming reporter in the field for the night?

Travis Ranch Roof - after the storm | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

Just heard from the HOA rep. that marketing signs (other than for Travis Ranch builders) are not permitted in common areas or on property lots in Travis Ranch.

This includes builders, roofers, lawn care and others.

According to the rep, they’ll be making notes and contacting folks to have them removed during their next inspection.

Not sure when that will be.

I’ve actually appreciated having our roofer’s sign in our front yard as it seems to have deterred many would be companies from bugging me about fixing my roof after the latest storm – but sounds like the HOA isn’t as appreciative.

As an added note – no garage sales have been scheduled for this year in Travis Ranch as of today.

I talked with a clerk at the Rockwall Kroger a week or so ago and she told me that the Forney Kroger is expected to open in April or May of next year (2013).

A keen reader on twentypeacefulminutes.com/forums found some more information to back that up.

The new center will have roughly 200,000 SF in available retail space, which will be backed by a new Kroger Marketplace.

And some interesting stats from the promotional piece:

• Hwy 80 has 55,862 vehicles per day.
• FM 548 has 11,518 vehicles per day.
• The 2011 population within 5 miles of the new center is 35,114.
• The average household income within 5 miles is $89,204.
• The expected population growth between now and 2016 is 3.1% within 5 miles.

Click to see information from one of the brokers for the site.

With all the new retail space – what do you hope to see in the new center? Any particular chain stores or restaurants?

Crumbzz Cake | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

From the City of Forney:

This event provides Forney residents (and friends) an opportunity to taste the local cuisine all under one roof. The admission fee ($10 Adults, $5.00 Students, 3 & Under Free) includes a variety of food samples from area restaurants, a spectacular concert provided by the high school and middle school bands, and a silent auction. The Annual Taste of Forney will take place Thursday, March 29 from 5:30 pm – 8:30pm at Forney High School. Bring your friends and family out to show your support and enthusiasm for our local businesses!
*Proceeds benefit FISD band programs.

LA Cash Mob | Photo via facebook.com/lacashmobs

I came across this fun idea on Good.is:

The Groupon-led daily deal craze has made shoppers eager to get as much as possible from local shops for as little as possible – even when that turns out to be a terrible deal for the businesses themselves. Now, a new movement in support of local business is turning the flash-sale concept on its head. Participants in “cash mobs” pick a store, then flock to it in droves to pay full-price to support a local business in need.

I wonder if this is something Forney folks could get behind.

Perhaps pick one business a month – or pick one weekend a month to “cash mob” all the locally owned businesses in Forney?

According to the article, each area sets their own guidelines, but most ask participants to spend at least $20 at the chosen location.

What do you think? Could something like this take off in Forney? Would you be willing to keep your money closer to home to help a local business out?

Got a business you want to nominate? Let us know in the comments below.

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