Posted: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:38 PM - 7,566 Readers
By: Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
A municipal golf course that has operated in West Austin since 1924 should be eliminated to accommodate a major commercial and residential development that would generate income for academic programs at the University of Texas, consultants told the school’s governing board today.
Cooper, Robertson & Partners LLP, an architectural and urban planning firm that has been studying the university-owned Brackenridge tract for more than a year, also recommended that the Board of Regents downsize or relocate a biological field laboratory. In addition, the firm called for razing 500 student apartments on the tract and dramatically enlarging a nearby student apartment complex.
“The board will spend a great deal of time in the coming months and probably the coming years studying these plans, and then we will eventually make some decisions,” said James Huffines, chairman of the regents.
“But I want to emphasize: These are just recommendations. We are a long way from making any decisions.”
The recommendations are detailed in two conceptual master plans unveiled by the Cooper firm at a regents’ meeting in Austin.
Both plans call for eliminating the Lions Municipal Golf Course and developing thousands of housing units, as well as offices, retail shops, as many as three hotels, tree-lined trails and parkland.
The recommendations also include realigning portions of Lake Austin Boulevard and Exposition Boulevard, building a new street from the corner of Exposition and Enfield Road to Red Bud Trail in an effort to relieve congestion and adding northbound and southbound on-ramps to MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) just east of the tract.
Under one of the conceptual plans, called Brackenridge Park, the field lab would be downsized to 56 acres from its current 82 acres. A total of 6,600 housing units could be accommodated under the plan, said David McGregor, project director with Cooper. Using his estimate of 1.5 people per unit, that works out to 9,900 residents.
The other plan, called Brackenridge Village, eliminates the field lab and accommodates 8,700 housing units, with 13,050 residents. A field lab would be established at some other site, yet to be identified, along the Colorado, McGregor said.
The recommendations are certain to intensify a long-simmering debate about the future of the 345-acre Brackenridge tract, which was donated to the university in 1910 by George Washington Brackenridge, a regent and banker.
Golfers regard Lions Municipal, also known as Muny, as an iconic place. Faculty members who conduct research and hold classes at the field lab say its location close to campus and its decades-long history of field data make it irreplaceable. Increased traffic is likely to be a major concern for West Austin residents.
No development could take place on Muny or the field lab until 2019, under the terms of a 1989 development agreement between the City of Austin and the Board of Regents. That is also when the city’s lease for the golf course expires.
But other parcels — notably two sections with a total of 500 apartments — could be redeveloped for commercial purposes at any time.
The Cooper firm called for razing those apartments and rebuilding the nearby Gateway student apartment complex, off Sixth Street, to accommodate 800 to 825 units, with occupancy in September 2012. That would be an increase of about 100 units from the current capacity of the Gateway apartments and the Brackenridge tract apartments combined.
A 15-acre sports complex operated by the West Austin Youth Association would be retained, though perhaps relocated within the Brackenridge tract. Two parcels would be set aside for possible future uses — one for an elementary school and one for any university need that could arise.
“We came to the understanding that WAYA in fact long-term would be a valuable asset to the site and actually serve future residents and existing residents,” said Paul Milana, partner-in-charge for the Cooper firm.
The case for preserving the 141-acre golf course is not nearly so compelling, he said.
“After considering its size and its use and the availability of its use, we felt that long-term it was not an appropriate use to be preserved on the site, underscoring that this is a 40- to 50-year outlook,” Milana said.
“The ability to utilize nearly half of the acreage of the site gives us so many options with regard to providing freely accessible, completely open parkland that can be flexible and respond to a wide variety of folks.”
