Austonia daily newsletter—direct to your inbox 6 a.m.
Join the 250,000+ others who rely on Austonia for local news, info and fun
×
The fortress-like home overlooks a luscious Hill Country view. (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Nestled on four acres in the luscious Hill Country, 8004 Two Coves Drive is a convenient short drive from Lake Travis, Emma Long Park, Downtown Austin and the Domain. Of course, it would be faster to take your helicopter.
Listed for a cool $5.2 million, the 5,597-square foot luxurious six-bedroom, six-bathroom home in Northwest Austin comes with a gym, guesthouse, gazebo and landing pad. You know, for your helicopter?
However, the aircraft accessories aren't all that make this sprawling house special.
Main walkway to the house. (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Upon coming in through the steel gates, note that security is the name of the game with 18-foot-high, four-foot-thick concrete walls. The house also comes complete with an extensive security system and private water well with a filtration system.
Once inside, you will marvel at the meticulously manicured courtyard that leaves plenty of space between the gazebo, guesthouse and main house.
The pueblo-esque house overlooks coveted greenery and views, featuring a pyramid-inspired sitting area to look upon the natural limestone pool and spa or enjoy the sounds of the nearby bird sanctuary, which will remain undeveloped, securing the home's solitude.
Inside, the home has clean lines, lots of natural lighting, travertine flooring and custom metal and stonework. Although the house was built in 2001, it has been outfitted with smart home technology.
What house would be complete without a secret, cave-live dining room? The fortress features a hidden room with walls of quarried stone, perfect for your next Game of Thrones LARP.
Buyers of the house have the option to buy the Pietro Constantini custom artwork and furniture pictured inside or even expand the home, which has room for a new 30,000-foot structure.
The fortress is listed by Douglas Elliman—the broker behind Eklund | Gomes team from Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing"—Texas' Senior Vice President Matthew Ditlow.
Popular
(Pexels)
House Bill 1325, which was signed in June 2019 by Gov. Greg Abbott, and the Farm Bill, signed into law by former President Donald Trump in 2018, legalized any hemp product containing less than .3% THC. The same bills were thought to have made Delta 8 legal, though the Texas Department of State Health Services added a notice on its website saying it was still a controlled substance as of Friday, Oct. 15.
Both the federal and state governments keep separate lists on what is considered a controlled substance. Marijuana is considered Schedule I, a category reserved for substances with "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," both statewide and federally.
Austin-based CBD retailer Grassroots Harvest CEO Kemal Whyte, like many CBD shop retailers, was blindsided by the announcement. Many small businesses rely on Delta 8 for their sales—Green Herbal Care CBD said about 90% of its sales come from Delta 8—and Whyte said he is frustrated by the inconsistencies in the drug scheduling system.
(Grassroots Harvest/Instagram)
Since 87% of Texans support the legalization of marijuana, at least for medical use, per a recent poll, Whyte said he wonders who this legislation is for.
"It's gonna have a massive impact on small businesses—there's just no way around it," Whyte said. "The reality is, we don't want to push out anything bad for our customers, we want this to benefit our customers and to help them. If we can make money while doing it, that's the American dream. What are we doing, whose benefit is this for?"
Delta 8 surged in popularity after the perceived legalization—consumers enjoyed its lower psychotropic potency, decreased anxiety while using it and the peace of mind as a legal way to get high. So in order to protect their products and livelihoods, both Grassroots Harvest and Austin-based manufacturer Hometown Heroes are taking legal action.
Whyte said Grassroots Harvest is suing DSHS, saying their action is creating negative effects in the market. Meanwhile, a Hometown Heroes spokesperson said the company is in the process of filing a temporary restraining order that would pause the ban on Delta-8 in the state of Texas.
Threats against Delta 8 are not new—DSHS lost a lawsuit trying to make "smokable hemp products" illegal last year and Texas lawmakers had been considering a bill that would make Delta 8 illegal, though it was dropped after the clarification was made.
Hometown Heroes released a formal statement in response to the DSHS rule.
"I need to be clear—we love Texas, we're just choosing to fight for the will of the people in regards to cannabis in Texas," Hometown Hero CEO Lukas Gilkey said in a statement. "(Texas DSHS) are using backhanded ways to create legislation and go against the will of the people."
Whyte laments the fact that it would be easier legally to "open up a strip club that also sells guns," and said he can't post customer testimonials that mention the benefits of Delta 8 without getting hit with a cease and desist from the Food and Drug Administration. Whyte said he isn't opposed to regulation—far from it—he just wants to see it go through the correct channels.
"The fact that they're stunting our ability to communicate with our clients that want to learn about this, you're preventing us from communicating with them and teaching them, or spreading information that we know," Whyte said. "I think that that in and of itself opens up a lot of questions."
Grassroots Harvest still has Delta 8 products on its shelves for the time being but for how long, Whyte doesn't know.
From Your Site Articles
- Willie Nelson to host cannabis convention for 88th birthday - austonia ›
- First hemp vodka in Texas makes its way to Austin - austonia ›
- Travis County approves first Texas Hemp Harvest Festival - austonia ›
- Delta 8 has landed in Austin: what is it and who uses it? - austonia ›
Related Articles Around the Web
