Posting Language
Title
Authorize negotiation and execution of amendments to the existing interlocal agreement between the City and the University of Texas related to the area generally bounded by Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) to the south and west, Enfield Road and 8th Street to the north, and Veterans Drive and Hearn Street to the east that establishes applicable land development regulations and the parties' expectations related to the conveyance of Lion's Municipal Golf Course (Muny), the vacation of City rights-of-way, the creation of a regulating plan, and the creation of a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ). Funding: This item has no fiscal impact.
De
Lead Department
Management Services.
Fiscal Note
This item has no fiscal impact.
For More Information:
For more information, please contact Jon Fortune, Deputy City Manager, City Manager’s Office, Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office; Kimberly Olivares, Director, Austin Financial Services; Trish Link, Division Chief, Land Use and Real Estate, Austin City Attorney’s Office.
Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action:
October 21, 2026 - Staff briefing to the Environmental Commission.
October 27, 2026 - Staff briefing to the Planning Commission.
November 4, 2026 - Discussion and approval of a recommendation to Council for proposed amendments to the existing interlocal agreement by the Environmental Commission.
November 10, 2026 - Discussion and approval of a recommendation to Council for proposed amendments to the existing interlocal agreement by the Planning Commission.
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Additional Backup Information:
Background
The current Brackenridge Development Agreement (BDA), established in 1989 is outdated and not as favorable as it could be for the City of Austin or its residents. It includes dated or missing standards related to current code, limits the City’s involvement in the development process, and makes the City responsible for planning, funding, and constructing utility infrastructure to serve the property. After decades of conversations, the City and the University are prepared to amend the BDA to improve the development requirements and environmental protections of the site in comparison to the standards in the 1989 BDA. In addition, through the support of a generous donor, Muny will be conveyed to the City of Austin as a component of the agreement, keeping Muny an affordable, public benefit for years to come.
For non-University/State purposes, the amendments to the agreement will establish tract-specific development requirements and introduces limited environmental regulations, allows for a range of height limits, and establishes impervious cover limits.
The University of Texas was gifted nearly 500 acres of land along both sides of Lake Austin Boulevard and has ground lease agreements with many of the commercial businesses in the area. Lions Municipal Golf Course, also known as Muny, first opened in 1924 and occupies about 141 acres of the University-owned property. The City took over the lease for the golf course 13 years later and has operated Muny ever since. In 1950, Muny became the first public golf course in the South to integrate, allowing people of color to play, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a civil rights landmark. Today, it is the most used course in the city, with more than 75,000 rounds of golf played each year.
For more than 50 years, the course’s community of golfers, neighbors, students, and other Austinites have been working to save Muny and preserve its role as a public course open to all who want to play. Throughout that time, the City, the University, and community members have discussed various solutions to the issue of ownership, operations, and preservation of Muny. However, without a clear path forward, the City has been operating Muny under a month-to-month lease agreement with UT since 2019.
As part of the conversations to preserve Muny, the City and the University also discussed the terms for how the University may use the land it owns on either side of Lake Austin Boulevard for private development. In 1989, the City and University entered into an interlocal agreement known as the Brackenridge Development Agreement. The City and the University have amended the BDA several times throughout the years, but none of those changes have resulted in a long-term plan for Muny, despite a great deal of work by the community of golfers and neighbors who love Muny.
Proposed Amended Interlocal Agreement
The amended ILA will describe the general process for:
• The conveyance of Muny,
• A proposed update to the University’s lease of property at Mueller,
• The exchange of City rights-of-way,
• The proposed creation of a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, and
• The development of a mutually agreed regulating plan.
The amended ILA will define the parameters of any future private development of the 190 acres of land in the University-owned Brackenridge tract. Those include:
• Building heights cap at 65 feet when viewed from Lake Austin Boulevard,
• Impervious cover limits set at 75% sitewide, and
• Maintaining a 200-foot setback from Lady Bird Lake.