Posted: Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:27 PM - 9,675 Readers
By: Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
The University of Texas System is looking into moving out of its downtown office complex and one option under consideration is the Brackenridge tract, a site that would prompt a new round of questions and debate about the future of the 350-acre parcel along the Colorado River in West Austin.
The system, which oversees the Austin flagship and 14 other academic and health campuses, currently operates primarily out of five buildings it owns along Colorado, Lavaca, West Sixth and West Seventh streets.
Besides the Brackenridge tract, locations under review include the former Mueller airport site, UT-Austin's J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin, the former Concordia University Texas site along Interstate 35 and various suburban sites, according to sources familiar with the matter. Another possibility is to rebuild at the downtown complex.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to address the matter publicly.
The system confirmed in a statement that it is evaluating various alternatives, noting that the review was undertaken at the request of the Board of Regents. The board will meet today, but the issue is not on its agenda.
"We hope to present a recommendation to the board by early next spring," the system said. "If a decision to move is made, it will be a process that likely would take multiple years, particularly if construction is involved."
The statement said that, given the system's interactions with the Austin campus, state agencies and the Legislature, it is important and cost-effective "to remain in proximity to downtown Austin." Matt Flores, a spokesman, said the system had no comment on possible locations. Gary Susswein, a spokesman for UT-Austin, referred questions to the UT System.
An October memorandum from Scott Kelley, the system's executive vice chancellor for business affairs, said the review is part of ongoing efforts to operate more efficiently. Options include leasing or purchasing existing office space and building new offices.
"Given the age and wear of our existing facilities, it has become apparent that moving to another location can offer us the ability to cut energy and maintenance costs, making our operation significantly more cost effective," Kelley wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by the American-Statesman.
The Parsons Corp., an engineering, construction and management services firm based in Pasadena, Calif., with offices in Austin, is assisting the UT System in its review, the memo said.
The sources said the Brackenridge tract site under consideration is on vacant land near the intersection of Lake Austin Boulevard and Redbud Trail, across the boulevard from Lions Municipal Golf Course, which is operated by the city under a lease from the UT System. The site in question is also near university-owned student housing known as the Brackenridge Apartments.
UT System officials have calculated that constructing a four- to six-story office building and parking garage on the tract to accommodate about 500 employees would net annual savings of as much as $3 million, the sources said. The calculation apparently assumes that the system would lease or sell its downtown buildings to help pay for the project.
A decision to relocate to the Brackenridge tract could renew debate over redevelopment of the tract and how that would mesh with current uses, traffic patterns and nearby residential properties.
Under board Chairman Gene Powell, a developer and entrepreneur from San Antonio, regents voted in February to let the lease for the golf course, known as Muny, expire in May 2019 rather than exercise renewal options. Powell said in a letter to Mayor Lee Leffingwell that the board was open to discussing an earlier termination of the lease should that serve the interests of the city and the university.
Relocating the system's offices to the tract would be another sign of the board's intention to reshape the Brackenridge tract.
Bob Ozer, a leader of Save Muny, a group that wants the golf course preserved, said Wednesday that he hopes any plan to build on the tract gets a wide airing.
"There are going to be a lot of issues about development on different sections of the Brackenridge tract," Ozer said. "The university is under economic pressures. I think it would be a good idea to fold these discussions into broader discussions about a medical school, technology commercialization and technology transfer."
Ozer expressed hope that the city might be willing to provide substantial financial assistance for construction of a UT-Austin medical school in return for the regents' commitment to preserve Muny. It's unclear whether such a tradeoff is in the cards.
The most recent concept plans commissioned by the regents called for transforming the Brackenridge tract, including the 141-acre golf course, into a dense neighborhood with thousands of housing units plus shops, parkland, trails and hotels. Powell said in February that those plans, for which the regents paid $4.9 million, represented the maximum possible development and that the system would consider "some appropriate restraints."
The future of the Brackenridge tract has been the subject of debate since it was donated to the university in 1910 by Col. George W. Brackenridge, a banker and regent. Time and again, regents and various blue-ribbon committees have sought unsuccessfully to craft a workable long-term plan.
The regents' longstanding policy has been that the tract is for the benefit of the Austin flagship, so it's not clear how building a system headquarters there would directly serve that purpose. It's also unclear whether the system would compensate UT-Austin for use of the land and how much the system would pay.
