The University and the city of Austin are working on a compromise to amend the standing development agreement for approximately 190 acres of land within the University’s west Austin Brackenridge Tract.
On Oct. 14, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson announced plans to “save Muny” amid concerns about commercial development, preserving the Lions Municipal Golf Course on the land.
“For decades, the city, the University, and members of our community have discussed various solutions to the operation, ownership and preservation of Muny,” Watson said.
The full parcel of land includes approximately 350 acres of developed and undeveloped land, encompassing the Muny golf course, University student housing, the Brackenridge Field Laboratory, the West Austin Youth Association and other commercial buildings. The University has owned the tract for 116 years.
The amendments, which will be officially announced in a November resolution, would provide more open public green space and allow for residential and retail development on the land. A University spokesperson said under the new amendments, the University plans to establish rules limiting building height on the land.
A University spokesperson said UT would receive the amended Brackenridge development agreement for the land and oversight of “rights-of-way” on its campuses. On the current Brackenridge Tract, the affordable student family housing Brackenridge Apartments will remain until future development plans come in the future.
Additionally, they will receive an updated ground lease in Central East Austin, which could provide future affordable student and faculty housing near the Dell Pediatric Research Institute.
“We appreciate the City’s hard work and collaboration to find a resolution of our various goals,” a University spokesperson wrote in an email.
The City Environmental Commission, which oversees projects and programs that affect quality of life for Austin citizens, must approve the proposed amendments. In an Oct. 21 meeting, the commission said there will be a resolution before Nov. 19. Any deal made will be taken to the Board of Regents for final consideration, a University spokesperson wrote in an email.
In the Environmental Commission meeting, commissioners and Austin residents discussed the land that contains the Brackenridge Field Laboratory, which could now be developed for non-University purposes, while it is currently only allowed to be developed for University purposes.
The Brackenridge Field Laboratory was established in 1966 on an 82-acre piece of land included in the Brackenridge Tract. The space now includes nine greenhouses and an 18,000-square-foot lab space that does research in habitat management and restoration. Elizabeth Bowman, a research scientist at the lab, said at the meeting that she is worried about the lab’s long-term future.
“Its location within Austin makes it an invaluable resource for the University and (the) public to conduct research and learn about the ecology of Central Texas,” Bowman said.
Bowman said in the meeting that she does not speak for the University.
