Mayor Stephanie Fisher: 67 of 540 Johnson City Homes Are Now Airbnbs
Johnson City Mayor Stephanie Fisher joins Justin McKenzie to detail the Hill Country town's groundwater fight with the Blanco Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District, a short-term rental surge consuming affordable housing, and the push to land a boutique hotel on the 290/281 corridor.
Johnson City, TX (Newsworthy.ai) Monday Jun 8, 2026 @ 1:00 AM CDT
The Building Texas Show — Johnson City, Texas Has a Water Crisis Nobody's Talking About
Photo: Justin McKenzie
"We only have about 540 residential single-family connections, and of those, about 67 are Airbnbs. So that's a huge chunk of our affordable family housing," said Mayor Stephanie Fisher of Johnson City.
The latest episode of The Building Texas Show, titled Johnson City, Texas Has a Water Crisis Nobody's Talking About, hosted by Justin McKenzie, brings listeners inside one of the Texas Hill Country's most overlooked gateway towns. Published May 27, 2026, the conversation features Johnson City Mayor Stephanie Fisher, now in her second term, breaking down a groundwater permitting standoff, a short-term rental boom reshaping neighborhoods, and the city's strategy to convert through-traffic on the 290/281 corridor into overnight tourism dollars. The timing is pointed: Johnson City sits on the Pedernales River yet still cannot tap it for drinking water.
Across the episode, McKenzie and Fisher walk through the specific pressures squeezing the city of roughly 540 residential single-family water connections. Topic threads include:
The Building Texas Show — Johnson City, Texas Has a Water Crisis Nobody's Talking About
Photo: Justin McKenzie
"We only have about 540 residential single-family connections, and of those, about 67 are Airbnbs. So that's a huge chunk of our affordable family housing," said Mayor Stephanie Fisher of Johnson City.
- The Ellenberger Aquifer, a minor aquifer off the Llano Uplift, as Johnson City's sole drinking water source
- The capital improvement plan and pending pumpage permit increase before the Blanco Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District
- 200 acre-feet of Pedernales River water held under an LCRA permit that the city cannot yet harvest without millions in infrastructure
- Short-term rentals consuming 67 of 540 residential connections
- The hunt for a boutique or resort-style hotel to anchor tourism
Fisher is candid about how the city arrived at its current bind, pointing to earlier decisions that complicated today's negotiations with the groundwater district.
"There was some previous administrations that made some decisions. I think they put the cart before the horse, and that's causing us to have some questions asked. And they're just doing their due diligence. I'm glad that our groundwater district is doing what they need to do to make sure that we all have water forever," Fisher told McKenzie.
She frames a hotel, ideally on the river, as the single biggest unlock for both housing and tax base.
The deeper context is a Hill Country affordability crisis playing out on Highway 290. Johnson City is the last stop before Fredericksburg and a common cut-through to Lake LBJ, yet visitors rarely stay the night. Fisher and McKenzie discuss the assets already on the ground: the Science Mill, the LBJ National Historic Park (including the Texas White House in Stonewall and LBJ's boyhood home), the Old Settlement adjacent to the Science Mill, the Exotic Resort Zoo just north of town, and the annual fair and rodeo weekend. McKenzie also references 100-year water planning efforts in Midland and Lubbock as a contrast to Hill Country communities dependent on aquifer recharge in 15-year rainfall cycles.
About The Building Texas Show
The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, travels the state in conversation with the mayors, founders, and operators shaping Texas growth. Each episode digs into infrastructure, economic development, tourism, and community identity with the people doing the work. The show is sponsored by Chisos Boots. This episode is available now wherever podcasts are heard, and on YouTube where listeners can like and subscribe to follow the series.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why can't Johnson City use the Pedernales River for drinking water despite sitting on it?
- Mayor Stephanie Fisher explained that while the city holds an LCRA permit for 200 acre-feet a year of Pedernales River water, actually harvesting it would require millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades. As a result, Johnson City currently relies entirely on the Ellenberger Aquifer, a minor aquifer off the Llano Uplift, for all of its municipal water supply.
- What is the status of Johnson City's pumpage permit with the Blanco Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District?
- The city completed a major capital improvement plan a couple of years ago that required an increased pumpage permit, but the Blanco Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District has not yet approved it. Fisher said the district raised questions about growth assumptions, and negotiations remain ongoing as the district performs due diligence to protect long-term water availability.
- Why is the 67-of-540 Airbnb figure such a big deal for Johnson City?
- With only about 540 residential single-family water connections in the city, 67 homes operating as Airbnbs represent a significant share of the affordable family housing stock. Fisher argues that converting tourist demand into hotel stays instead could free up those homes for local families while still capturing the tourism dollars the city needs to thrive.
- What kind of hotel is Mayor Fisher trying to attract?
- Fisher said her number one economic development goal is landing a hotel, ideally a boutique or resort-style property, and potentially one sited on the Pedernales River. She believes such a hotel would absorb visitor demand currently filling short-term rentals and finally give travelers passing through on 290 and 281 a reason to stay overnight in Johnson City.
- What attractions does Johnson City offer beyond being a pass-through to Fredericksburg?
- Fisher pointed to the Science Mill, the LBJ National Historic Park including the Texas White House in Stonewall and LBJ's boyhood home, the Old Settlement attached to the Science Mill, and the Exotic Resort Zoo just north of town. The annual fair and rodeo weekend also remains one of the city's busiest draws of the year.
- How does Hill Country water planning differ from West Texas cities like Midland and Lubbock?
- McKenzie noted that Midland and Lubbock operate on 100-year water plans, while Hill Country communities like Johnson City depend heavily on aquifers recharged by rainfall that arrives in roughly 15-year cycles. That contrast underscores why groundwater conservation districts are cautious about approving expanded pumpage permits in the region.
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