A phased, revenue-first hospitality asset in Austin's eastern growth corridor.
The Heavens ATX is a 30-acre eco-luxury wellness resort and events destination under development in Cedar Creek, Bastrop County — designed to open a revenue-producing core early, validate rates and occupancy, then scale to 59 keys.
- Site
- 29.945 acres
- Keys at stabilization
- 59
- Phase 1 budget
- $3.63M
- Raised to date (friends & family)
- $1M+
Investment thesis
Experiential hospitality east of Austin, where population growth, infrastructure investment and tourism are pushing demand outward — and destination lodging is scarce.
- Deliver a revenue-producing core early through phased execution.
- Validate ADR, occupancy and ancillary revenue before scaling.
- Capture multiple revenue streams — rooms, F&B, events, day-use, spa — to reduce reliance on rooms alone.
- Align development and operations with conservative, third-party underwriting.
Location & demand
Cedar Creek, Bastrop County — ~2,045 ft of frontage on Northside Lane and ~700 ft on FM 535; generally level; FEMA Zone X (minimal flood hazard). Roughly 20 minutes to downtown Austin, 10 to Austin-Bergstrom and 8 to Circuit of the Americas.
- Austin MSA ≈ 2.55M residents. Bastrop County: 114,931 (2024), up 18.2% since 2020.
- Nearby home pipeline: Sun Chase 4,000 · Velocity 1,693 · Kellam 1,500 · Water's Edge 1,254 · Lexington Parke 1,218 · Riverbed Landing 650.
- Demand drivers within ~18 mi: AUS (~21.8M passengers in 2024), COTA (F1, MotoGP, concerts), Tesla Giga Texas, The Boring Company, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines, Carson Creek Ranch amphitheater, McKinney Roughs.
- Pipeline: Courtyard by Marriott (late 2026), $42M Pearce Lane improvements, COTALAND, Austin Surf Club, Surf Lakes "Pura Vida".
The program
Lodging
12 Spanish Neo-Gothic aircrete domes named for constellations, with handcrafted stained glass and reclaimed cedar; waterfall-front studios and villas; nature-preserve tents; river-oriented lodging in Phase 2.
Signature amenity
A 200,000-gallon natural beach-entry limestone pool with a 12-foot waterfall — monetized through overnight stays, day passes, cabana rentals, private events and F&B.
F&B, events, wellness
Oeste, an organic garden-to-table restaurant in the converted ranch house; a 450-capacity amphitheater; yoga pagoda; spa and wellness; dedicated event space for weddings and retreats.
Phasing & use of funds
Phase 1 — $3,630,000
~6–8 months after MEP installation
20 keys (3 domes, 8 waterfall-front stays, 9 nature-preserve tents) · 8 day cabanas · pool and initial amenities · initial F&B · yoga pagoda and amphitheater.
Phase 2 — $15,900,000
~12–18 months to full program
Expansion to 59 keys · full food, beverage, wellness and event activation · river-oriented lodging and landscape integration.
Underwriting & revenue mix
Blended ADR $420–$430 · blended occupancy 60–63%. Long-run average from third-party underwriting.
| Source | Amount | Mix |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms (combined) | $3,702,812 | 54.6% |
| Meetings / events / groups | $1,335,000 | 21.5% |
| Food & beverage | $956,215 | 14.8% |
| Day pass / day-use | $414,473 | 7.0% |
| Other operated departments | $135,824 | 2.1% |
| Spa | $96,480 | 1.5% |
| Valet parking | $39,344 | 0.6% |
| Total revenues | $6,544,324 | 100% |
| Total expenses | ~$3,600,000 | 55% |
| Gross operating profit | ~$2,944,000 | 45% |
| EBITDA | ~$1,964,000 | 30% |
Events and day-use add revenue without proportional key growth. Third-party underwriting available on request.
Valuation
- "As-if completed" value indication
- $20.0M
- Value per key
- ~$350K
- Discount rate
- 11%
- Terminal cap rate
- 9.25%
Third-party appraisal and discounted-cash-flow conclusion as presented in the sponsor's deck.
Already in the ground
Multiple dome structures are built, pool excavation and major limestone work are complete, and the first dome's stained glass is substantially complete.
Sponsor, operator & design team
Roland Barrera
Co-Founder & Creative Director
28 years creating restaurants, live-music venues and experiential destinations; producer of 1,000+ live events; hands-on in stone, tile, mosaics and masonry.
Dan Mages
Co-Founder, Brand & Community · Originating sponsor
Leads site acquisition, concept, capitalization and investor relations. Philosophy professor for ~20 years, traveled 50+ countries, writer of Tribal Truths.
Peter Wessley Haynes
Managing Partner
U.S. Navy veteran, retired Captain and Naval Aviator; Experimental Test Pilot at Merlin Labs.
Operator — Lucky Find Hospitality
Boutique hospitality development and operating platform: phased openings and early-revenue strategies, lean staffing, revenue diversification. Oversees pre-opening, operating systems, revenue strategy and stabilization.
Architecture — LSI · Webber Studio
LSI: integrated architecture and landscape design. Contributing architect Webber Studio (Austin): landscape-integrated hospitality architecture.
Risks & mitigation
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Construction & delivery | Phased delivery, milestone-based draws, contingency allocations. |
| Demand & absorption | Diversified revenue streams; drive-to demand; multiple demand generators in the corridor. |
| Operating & execution | Lean early-phase staffing; clear ramp plan; systems discipline. |
| Capital markets & refinancing | Delayed-draw structure; ability to cancel later tranches; conservative underwriting and third-party valuation. |
Capital structure
For lenders
The sponsor's deck contemplates a senior secured term loan with milestone-based, delayed draws and the ability to cancel later tranches. Third-party appraisal and DCF underwriting completed.
Capital to date
Over $1M raised from friends and family, with strong local brand traction.
Community round on Wefunder — testing the waters
- Instrument
- Revenue Share Loan
- Revenue share
- 1.50% of revenue
- Payback multiple
- 2.0x (2.5x early bird on first $20K)
- Security
- Secured by assets of The Heavens ATX
- Minimum
- $100
- Perk tiers
- $250 · $500 · $1K · $9.5K