Real Estate Photographer in Boerne, TX

Bridge Fellowship Church of Boerne is breaking ground on a massive $1.8 million campus along Ammann Road, a rural commuter road off of Texas 46 in the southeast part of the city that connects Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The planned 47,204-square-foot facility will include a 1,000-seat worship space, administration offices and a children's center and youth space.

A website for the church outlines its ostensibly humble beginnings dating back to the year 2000, though leaders had, almost from the very start, what they refer to online as a "church planting mindset," with evangelizing woven into "its very DNA" through the growth of additional campuses.

"Churches who believe the gospel, plant churches," the website reads. Construction began on October 1, according to a filing from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and will wrap up in January 2027. While construction timelines are always subject to change, if things go remotely according to plan at the new campus, Ammann Road's periodically heavy traffic and a slate of key development projects are set to completely transform this busy street.

The church campus' arrival is happening amid significant changes to Boerne's Ammann Road, which is managed by Fair Oaks Ranch. The portion of the roadway within the city of 11,000 people is part of a voter-approved bond election for major reconstruction and improvements. The roadway also sees heavy traffic congestion during peak travel times in the morning and afternoons — a problem for some Boerne and Fair Oaks residents who commute during school pick-up and drop-off times. Kendall County also manages part of the roadway.

Plans for Ammann Road call for widening lanes, smoothing a couple of sharp curves, adding shoulders to the road, and enhancing safety for the heavy morning, afternoon, and evening traffic expected once the church and other developments are active.

Construction is expected to begin on the roadway in October 2026 and will last until 2027, possibly into 2028.

Nearby, the Post Oak Subdivision, a relatively high-density subdivision development, is set to bring in 278 single-family homes on one-acre lots into Fair Oaks Ranch, just north of the roadway. The city is also working to build an elevated storage tank in the area, along with a number of other projects.

MySA has reached out to The Bridge Fellowship for comment.

A buzzy Texas Hill Country town with a growing cachet of multimillion-dollar shopping centers, new restaurants and plans for a tourist-magnet gas station just secured a major ranking as one of the nation's most desirable suburbs for 2025.

In a recent study by moveBuddah, a technology company that analyzes moving trends, Boerne ranked as the fourth most popular suburban hotspot in the country for inbound moves to a city near a major metropolitan area. The San Antonio outskirt was ranked among 81 other suburbs in the vicinity of major metros that offer top-tier schools, bigger homes and lifestyle appeal.

To determine the ranking, researchers combed through Zillow Home Value Index data and moveBuddah’s moving calculator from August 1, 2024, to September 11, 2025. The moving trend analytics website first gathered information from the nation’s 100 largest major cities, or metro areas, in terms of population. Then it selected the suburbs with the highest inbound-to-outbound move ratio. The cities with the highest inbound-to-outbound ratios have the highest amount of interest from people wanting to move into town as well as the lowest number of residents looking to escape the city limits.

Only cities within a roughly 31 mile radius of the metro were considered for the study.

Though ranked fourth overall, the scenic Hill Country community was one of only two Texas cities that made the list, with being Wylie, Texas near Dallas.

Boerne’s charm and history helped it rein in the fourth spot, according to the moveBuddah report.

The city is known for its singular sense of small-town community, appreciation for the natural beauty of its surrounding environment, and fierce dedication to preserving its historic appeal.

"While not every top suburb is quaint or historic, in general, the most desirable suburbs nationwide are those with their own unique personalities and strong lifestyle appeal, regardless of their commute times," the report said.

The study also found that real estate in some of the most desirable suburbs costs more than the typical American home. In the top 25 suburbs analyzed, homes cost up to 57% higher than the national average. Home prices in Boerne are on the rise of late, and according to August 2025 data from the San Antonio Board of Realtors, median home cost just surpassed $600,000. However, housing costs are 21% below the national average, according to Payscale.

“America’s most popular suburbs are proving that big moves don’t always mean big cities. Sometimes they mean big charm, with moderate prices, with some proximity to mid-sized metros,” said the report.

The owner of a beloved watering hole in the Texas Hill Country announced in early September her plans to retire after more than 30 years of pouring drinks at the legendary old country saloon in the fast-growing city of Boerne.

Catherine Bentley, the owner of Longbranch Saloon, told MySA that her establishment is a cornerstone of the city's history that has provided locals and visitors a place to gather long before she owned the bar, which has been around for 50 years, making it one of Boerne's oldest bar.

For that reason, the 70-year-old Bentley said she hopes to keep the bar in the hands of a local buyer and away from developers. Bentley said real estate agents have told her the property has drawn interest from developers who are chomping at the bit for a piece of Boerne real estate, eager to pave over the decades-old business and build something new.

“Small businesses in this town are quickly disappearing due in part to high real estate and tax costs,” she said in her retirement announcement on Facebook. "Let’s keep this local Boerne tradition alive. Boerne is only gone forever if we let it happen," referencing a popular saying about the city's disappearing small-town character.

Bentley purchased the smokey country in the 1990s and transformed it from a 1970s-style drinking spot full of "grouchy old men" into a place where locals and tourists could gather for pool, darts, karaoke and good, cheap beer. It’s also one of only two places in Boerne where customers can still smoke indoors, according to Bentley.

"We don't want to tear it down and build a parking lot. I know the Longbranch is important to Boerne," she told MySA.

Since sharing the news, she’s gotten a ton of interest from longtime locals expressing interest in keeping Longbranch around. Though no one has made an offer, she says she feels revitalized about her retirement, knowing that everything she built might stick around.

“Now that I know I’m going to be able to retire and, hopefully, looking like I’m going to be able to sell it, it’s making me be able to retire happy,” Bentley said.

Find it: 817 N Main St, Boerne, TX 78006

Fair Oaks Ranch couple dies in Sept. 20 plane crash

Heather McCoy’s handiwork hung bright for all to see — purple-dominated mums flashing all throughout the Boerne High School campus during Homecoming week Sept. 8-12.

Unfortunately, the dozens and dozens of mums will stand as McCoy’s swan song. She and her husband, ret. Lt. Col. Michael McCoy, Fair Oaks Ranch residents, died Sept. 20 in a plane crash outside Louise, Texas. Both were 62 years old.

Misty McElhannon Stout, in her ninth year at “That’s What She Said: Mums in Boerne,” knew Heather well from her CraftWerks Ribbon outlet.

“It is with extreme sadness that I share the loss of an incredible member of our community. Heather McCoy was an iconic businesswoman, mum maker, ribbon designer, entrepreneur, pilot, mother, wife, friend and mentor,” Stout said.

“It was an honor to be her friend. We met way back in my very first year in the mum business and she cheered me along every step of the way.”

The Wharton County, Texas Sheriff’s Office confirmed the McCoys were on board a North American T-6, and were both pronounced dead at the scene, near FM 382 in the city of Louise, which is about 85 miles southwest of Houston.

Federal Aviation Administration officials are on the scene. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the cause of the crash.

The T-6 Texan like the one the McCoys were flying is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft, which was used to train pilots during World War II and into the 1970s. The T-6 Texan remains a popular warbird used for airshow demonstrations and static displays.

Social media posts went up shortly after the McCoys — avid aviation enthusiasts — were identified as the crash victims.

One poster commented, “Heather was one of the kindest and most caring persons I’ve ever known as was her husband, Mike. Her son, Gunnar, is my son’s best friend. Her husband Mike was not only a mentor to my son but a great friend to him as well. Both Heather and Mike will truly be missed.”

Another said, “Our boys played football together. Mike was an inspiration to so many young people in the aviation community.”

Melissa and Garlyn Stapleton were close friends with the McCoys, having grown up through scouting with the family.

“When we moved here, our boys were in scouts together. They were heavily involved, even Heather,” Melissa said. “Mike was a huge part in scouting along with my husband. The scouting community was very tight; we were very close.”

When Melissa launched her own business, Texas Gourmet Pantry, Heather was there, offering her knowledge and skill set to the first-time entrepreneur.

“When I first bought my business, Heather was there with me, helping me get computers set up, it was amazing,” she said. “She was a huge asset to her community. She taught so many people how to do mums, she was not a competitive businesswoman, she shared what she knew, which was from the heart.”

The couple’s true love, she said, was aviation.

“They absolutely loved aviation. Mike was a pilot for Delta Airlines. He flew his plane and took a couple of the boys (in scouting) for their aviation badge,” she said. “They both loved flying, and they talked about it all the time. They were doing what they loved.”

Courtesy photo

A cash-stuffed envelope was quickly returned to its owner, thanks to one Boerne man's determination for some positive news and the help of social media.

BOERNE, Texas — Small business owner Shawn Davis said after a week of bleak news and strife, he stopped off at a Boerne convenience store to get himself a treat but what he got far exceeded his expectations.

"I just saw this piece of paper on the ground that had about a million tire marks over it, and I thought, 'Hey, I'll just throw that away real quick,'" said Davis. "Next thing you know it's a pretty heavy piece of paper and I opened it up and there was just $20 bill after $20 bill and a cashier's check in there."

Having lost important items in his life, Davis said he wasn't willing to wait to get the envelope back to its rightful owner.

He said he started rifling through the envelope looking for clues and found some notes that weren't much help.

"I looked at the names on it and all I could really make out was an address and then a local business," he said.

That clue, the Lil Explorers School of Boerne, helped cracked the case.

"I figured out this daycare is where it was supposed to go and so I figured, I'll take it to the address in the morning, but in the meantime let's see if we can let whoever needs to know, know," Davis said. "That's when Facebook came in and the Boerne Breaking News page was incredible!"

He says when he posted an image of his find, the internet did its thing.

"Once I posted the picture, families immediately started linking each other, tagging each other...It was 20 minutes or so before the owner was able to reach out," Davis said. "If I found it at 9:00, it was back in her hands by about 10 that evening. So it moved fast. It moved really, really quickly."

Davis said because discouraging news has dominated the headlines lately, he knew his neighbors would be eager to help.

"I think everybody was waiting for something positive to be a part of, honestly, so it was a team effort," Davis said.

Davis, whose mobile automotive business keeps him on the road meeting new people all the time, said he is not at all surprised by the response.

He said when he and his wife wanted to leave the Seattle area, they scoured the country looking for the best place to move.

"We've lived in many places around the US and we didn't want to move again for a very, very long time," he said.

"We did our research about the area but it was definitely God who brought us here!" Davis said. "When we chose Boerne it was because we could tell that there's a special community here and that people are always looking out for each other and to get to be a part of it and to see it like that I mean that kind of quick emergency response task force over a little envelope. It was really, really cool!"

Davis said of his extraordinary Friday night find, he was looking for a sign that things would be okay in the world and he found it. He said it is good advice: Look for the good. You'll find it.