February 2026 - Resident Newsletter

Lake Levels (when will this drought end?)

The Hilton Tapestry Hotel - Progress Update

Note from our President

Hello Del Mar owners,

As the weather begins to warm up, so does our activity! In all our board meetings we spend a lot of time talking about how to keep the community clean and running smoothly. Here are some of the things we are working on for 2026:

Keep our community and common areas clean and safe. Thank you to all who participated in the last few Del Mar cleanup events. With your help, we filled several dumpsters and removed brush piles from around the park. Please remember that uncovered boats and jet skis, unregistered vehicles, and visible trash are violations of our deed restrictions.
Educate and inform owners and builders of our construction deed restrictions. We’ll be doing more this year in terms of education and enforcement of our building standards. This allows us to maintain a wonderful, safe and clean neighborhood where people want to live.
Replace boat-ramp keys and continue improving our boat-ramp area. We exchanged 2024 keys for 2025 keys at the annual meeting in May.. The 2025 keys will work for 2 years through mid 2027. If you still need a key, please contact Steve Warneke or Steve Eshelman. Remember that the ramp and park are for Del Mar property owners only.

Tracy Burkhart - President & Treasurer

Del Mar Building Restrictions

Here are some of our community’s key building restrictions as many of us are likely unaware of our deed restrictions – they are in place to keep our neighborhood a great place to live.

Single-Family Residential Use Only - All lots are restricted to single-family residential use. Only a private residence, a private garage, and a private boathouse are permitted. No commercial, multi-family, or rental-type structures are allowed.
Architectural Control Committee Approval Required - Before any construction, alteration, fence, or improvement begins, plans and specifications must be submitted to and approved in writing by the Architectural Control Committee. This includes exterior materials and building placement.
Minimum Setbacks Must Be Met - Buildings must be set back at least 20 feet from the front lot line, 10 feet from side street lines, and 6 feet from side or rear lot lines. Fences may not extend beyond these setback lines, and privacy fences are restricted on certain lot numbers.
Minimum Size & Height Limits - Homes may not exceed two stories in height. Minimum living area requirements apply: 1,200 square feet on certain designated lots and 950 square feet on all other lots, excluding garages, porches, and patios.
Construction Standards & Materials - All structures (including garages and storage) must be built with new materials (with limited decorative exceptions). No metal siding, tarpaper, or corrugated metal roofs are allowed; metal roofs must be specifically approved. Homes must be fully underpinned, and newly built homes must include a paved, blacktop, or gravel driveway.
Construction Timeline - Once construction begins, the exterior must be completed within six months.
Building Use - No garages, boathouses, campers, or trailers may be used as residences, and camping on lots is prohibited. No outbuilding may be built before a primary residence.
Driveways - All newly constructed residences must include a driveway. Driveways must be paved, blacktop, or edged gravel; recycled asphalt and dirt-only driveways are not permitted.
Boat house - Boathouses are permitted within the Del Mar Subdivision only as accessory structures to a primary residence and may not be constructed until a residence has been completed on the lot. Under no circumstances may a boathouse be used as a dwelling, either temporarily or permanently. All boathouse construction, placement, and exterior materials are subject to prior written approval by the Architectural Control Committee and are limited strictly to private, non-commercial use in accordance with subdivision standards.

Del Mar Property Standards

Likewise, here are some of our community’s key property standards rules as documented in our deed restrictions:

Grass & Vegetation Maintenance - Grass and weeds may not exceed 12 inches in height. All lots must be kept clear of underbrush, and dead trees or limbs that pose a safety hazard must be removed.
General Lot Cleanliness - Lots must be maintained in a clean and orderly condition at all times. No portion of any lot may be used as a dumping ground for trash, rubbish, debris, or discarded materials.
Trash, Junk & Outdoor Storage - The outdoor storage of boxes, scrap materials, debris, or miscellaneous items is prohibited, except during active construction. Littering and dumping are strictly prohibited.
Vehicles - Non-running or inoperable vehicles may not be kept on any lot for more than 90 days. Vehicles stored on blocks or in a state of disrepair are not permitted long-term.
Boats, PWCs & Equipment - Boats and personal watercraft must be properly stored and covered when not in use. The storage of heavy equipment on any lot is prohibited.
Temporary Use Prohibited - No camping is allowed on any lot. Trailers, campers, garages, or boathouses may not be used for residential or temporary living purposes.
Drainage, Culverts & Water Flow - Natural drainage patterns may not be altered without prior written approval from the Architectural Control Committee. No drainage ditches, culverts, curbs, or other water-flow obstructions may be installed or modified without approval.

Lake Levels (when will this drought end?)

Cedar Creek Reservoir has fallen to below-normal water levels due to a four-month stretch with virtually no rain, leaving a lot of Del Mar cove dry. The lake’s volume has steadily declined from 100% capacity last summer to only about 82% full as of mid-January. In practical terms, the reservoir’s surface elevation (currently 318.5 feet) is roughly 3.5 feet below its “full” conservation-pool level (of 322.0 feet). For context, one year ago the reservoir was about 87% full in early January, so the current level is notably lower than typical for this time of year.

December 2025 was one of the driest on record in North Texas, and the parched trend continued through the winter. The complete lack of rainfall since late fall is linked to broader climate patterns. Texas experienced an exceptionally warm, dry winter under the influence of La Niña. La Niña causes the jet stream to shift farther north, so rain-bearing weather systems that usually sweep across Texas never arrived. The result has been virtually no precipitation over Cedar Creek’s 1,000-square-mile watershed for months, allowing evaporation and water usage to outpace inflows.

Figure: Projected Cedar Creek Reservoir water level scenarios for 2026 under different rainfall conditions. The yellow band shows the lake’s projected elevation declining further through summer if the drought persists (below-normal rain). Green indicates a stable trend with near-normal rain, and blue shows a potential recovery toward full capacity with above-normal precipitation.

Looking ahead, water managers and forecasters caution that relief may not come immediately. The Tarrant Regional Water District reports no strong signals of wet weather in early 2026, meaning lake levels will likely continue trending downward in the near term. Indeed, La Niña’s dry influence could linger into the spring even as that pattern weakens.

On the optimistic side, climate models predict a shift to ENSO-neutral conditions by late spring and even suggest a more than 60% chance of El Niño developing by fall 2026. An El Niño event – essentially the opposite of La Niña – tends to bring a southerly jet stream and increased rainfall to Texas. For now, however, the reservoir is bracing for a drier-than-normal spring and summer. Water level projections (see figure above) show that under continued drought (worst-case scenario), Cedar Creek could dip several more feet below normal by mid-year, potentially approaching historically low levels. Conversely, any above-average rain later this year would greatly aid in refilling the reservoir. Officials remain hopeful that the anticipated late-year shift in climate will finally break the dry streak, allowing Cedar Creek’s water levels to rebound as 2026 progresses.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a wet spring!

The Hillsdale Project

The Hillsdale at Cedar Creek Lake project is shaping up to be a transformative new lakeside community in Gun Barrel City, Texas, designed to elevate lake living with a mix of residential, retail, and recreational features right on the shores of our lake.

Nestled on South Gun Barrel Lane with direct lake access and stunning water views, the development will include thoughtfully planned single-family residential lots, open spaces, and retail parcels that are already being platted for shops and services that support both residents and visitors.

Local planning efforts indicate the first phase will create nearly 50 residential lots and multiple retail lots, creating a vibrant lakeside “town center” feel that complements the natural beauty of the lakefront. Residents and guests can look forward to easy access to boating, fishing, and water activities on the lake, with nearby marinas and future community-serving businesses helping make Hillsdale a year-round destination for living, working, shopping, and recreation.

You can read more about it here: https://hillsdalecedarcreek.com

The Hilton Tapestry Hotel - Progress Update

As of early 2026, there is still no vertical construction (no building framework) rising from the hotel site, the project is still inching forward. The Gun Barrel City Economic Development Corporation now projects a spring 2027 opening for the Pier 334 complex, whereas initial plans had aimed for a late 2025 debut.

Since early summer 2025, the Pier 334 Hilton Tapestry Hotel project in Gun Barrel City has progressed with foundational site work. By late July, crews had completed major grading and soil stabilization efforts – roughly seven feet of loose sand was excavated across the 23,000 sq ft hotel pad and replaced with select fill to strengthen the ground. With the site stabilized, the focus shifted to installing infrastructure: workers began laying a storm drainage system and sewer lines, and the power utility removed outdated overhead lines in preparation for burying new electrical utilities to the site.

These behind-the-scenes tasks have been crucial due to the waterfront location’s sandy soil, but they have also contributed to the slow pace of visible construction so far.

On a positive note, the development team reports that all Hilton design and permitting approvals are in place, and they even built two model guest rooms off-site over the summer to finalize interior finishes to Hilton’s standards. With site prep nearly wrapped up and utilities going in, the foundation and structural construction are anticipated to begin soon. Local officials remain cautiously optimistic that 2026 will finally see the hotel itself take shape after the lengthy groundwork phase.

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