According to hyperlocalloop.com, the City of Austin and the University of Texas at Austin are nearing a formal agreement that would transfer ownership or long‑term stewardship of Lions Municipal Golf Course – affectionately called “Muny” – to the city. The move would safeguard the 140‑plus‑acre public green space from potential redevelopment and keep it open for generations of Austinites.
The course, located at 2901 Enfield Road, opened in 1924 and has been leased by the city since the late 1930s. It was the first golf course in the South to integrate in 1950 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a civil‑rights landmark, according to communityimpact.com. The city reports that the public course hosts more than 75,000 rounds of golf each year, and Austin currently pays UT just under $500,000 for its annual lease.
Mayor Kirk Watson announced on Oct. 14 that anonymous donations from longtime Austinites have created a “good, clear path” to preserve the course while allowing development of surrounding university land, as reported by communityimpact.com. The exact amount of the contributions was not disclosed. The deal would convey the 141‑acre Muny property to the city and transfer the adjacent West Austin Youth Association (WAYA) campus to a recreation nonprofit.
The combined Muny and WAYA site is appraised at more than $680 million, per communityimpact.com. To complete the transaction, the city must update the Brackenridge Development Agreement that governs roughly 190 acres of UT land along Lake Austin Boulevard. Proposed updates could cap building heights at 65 feet, require 200‑foot setbacks from Lady Bird Lake, and limit the percentage of land covered by new construction.
City officials will present the revised agreement to the Environmental Commission on Oct. 21 and to the Planning Commission on Oct. 27, with a final City Council vote scheduled for Nov. 19, according to hyperlocalloop.com. After council approval, regulating and financing plans are expected to be drafted over several months and brought back for council consideration in the spring.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax called the plan “an exciting opportunity for the community,” while a University of Texas statement said the collaboration “honors our fiduciary responsibilities and stewardship obligations,” both cited by communityimpact.com. The agreement, if approved, would keep Muny open as an 18‑hole public course and preserve surrounding green space amid Austin’s rapid growth.
Sources: hyperlocalloop.com, communityimpact.com
