A board seeking to preserve one of Austin's historic golf courses has secured a two-year extension from Texas lawmakers, while the future of that property and several other tracts owned by The University of Texas across the city remains in limbo.
The Save Historic Muny District was established in 2019 through legislation from then-state Sen. Kirk Watson, opening the door for public involvement in a potential acquisition of West Austin's Lions Municipal Golf Course from UT. Recent action ensures the district's work will continue until at least 2025.
The context
Lions, or Muny, opened in the early 1920s as Austin's first public golf course. The city has been leasing the 141-acre property at 2901 Enfield Road from UT for decades and maintained public access to the property, which is continuing on a month-to-month basis.
Muny was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 for its status as one of the first Southern golf courses to desegregate. It's also earned recognition from Texas golf organizations and remains open year-round to Austinites.
Following many years of public use under the university lease agreement, UT in 2019 announced its intentions to eventually end that arrangement and sell the land. Since then, debate has continued to swirl around the potential to preserve, sell or bring new construction to one of Central Austin's largest pieces of undeveloped real estate.
Local golf and parks enthusiasts, west side residents and officials, city planners, university representatives and state lawmakers have all been drawn into the discussion about Muny's future. This spring, Texas officials voted to once again extend the life of one entity seeking to maintain the course.
What happened
When the Save Historic Muny District was created in 2019, the state-created district made up of interested Austinites was set up to dissolve in 2021 with a land sale by UT appearing imminent at the time. Since then, legislative updates have twice prevented that outcome while the next steps for Muny still remain undetermined.
On June 10, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a measure from state Rep. Donna Howard, R-Austin, to keep the SHMD in place for two more years. The district is now scheduled to dissolve by May 31, 2025, pending any future action at the Capitol.
The extension comes after a similar bill from state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, went into effect in 2021 and would have ended the district's operations this year.
An earlier analysis of Howard's bill stated the additional time may "allow for all parties involved to come to an agreement" regarding Muny's preservation. Neither Howard nor the SHMD board chair responded to requests for comment about the new law's impact as of press time.
The full story
The SHMD is only one stakeholder involved in the push to preserve Muny. Another, The Muny Conservancy nonprofit helmed by former pro golfer Ben Crenshaw and Scotty Sayers, has been seeking for years to achieve the group's slogan: "Save Muny." Its mission is to raise enough money to buy and permanently secure the course.
While the nonprofit remains active, most recently holding a February gala that raised more than $1 million for its cause, it's uncertain whether a takeover of the course from UT remains feasible.
Past discussions about Muny referenced a possible price tag of around $100 million to reach a deal with the university, and the group previously reported collecting tens of millions of dollars toward that goal. But Richard Suttle, a lobbyist and land-use attorney working with UT on the Muny process, said back in late 2021 that a potential bid at that amount would be unlikely to move the needle for UT officials.
The four parcels that make up Muny are appraised at a total of $680.3 million this tax year, a notable jump up from a previous valuation of $408.66 million.
While the SHMD, The Muny Conservancy, neighbors and preservationists seek to maintain Muny, a process kicked off by city leaders years ago could clear the way for different uses and even redevelopment at the course.
City Council voted in December 2020 to update zoning for hundreds of acres of UT property across Austin—locations as varied as Muny, the lakefront Brackenridge tracts nearby, the Pickle research campuses in North Austin and a semiconductor facility in Southeast Austin.
The expansive process was launched to clarify what could be done with that land. At the time, UT was considering new development at some of its sites under an old agreement laying out how the institution may use the properties for its benefit. The city contended that certain activities wouldn't be allowed under those terms without new zoning in place.
Jerry Rusthoven, Austin's former chief zoning officer who oversaw some of that process prior to his departure last year, described the situation as a "stalemate" between the city and university before 2021. Rusthoven also said the cases were unique for city planners as the landowner, UT, did not initiate any changes itself; instead, council had asked staff to come up with appropriate land uses.
"The city manager is directed to process the applications and work in collaboration with The University of Texas and stakeholders to recommend appropriate zoning, rezoning and neighborhood plan amendments, and take necessary steps to ensure an efficient rezoning process to avoid unnecessary delay," the 2020 council directive stated.
Despite differing views on the overall need for such action, UT officials agreed to allow Austin officials to pursue new zoning.
A June 2021 public meeting centered on the Muny case, held virtually due to pandemic precautions, drew hundreds of Austinites interested in the property's future. Most speakers, including the area's representative Council Member Alison Alter, expressed a strong desire to preserve Muny's assets under whatever framework city planners would eventually propose.
However, little or no progress has occurred since then despite the initial call for a speedy process. Two years after that first public meeting, no further community engagement has taken place, and the zoning review appears to be at a standstill.
"The zoning process has not moved, and there are no firm plans [for Muny]," Suttle confirmed in a June 13 text message.
Kasi Jackson, a city housing department spokesperson, later said in a June 23 email that the rezoning cases hadn't progressed far enough to allow for more dialogue between Austin and UT over possible development on the tracts. However, more talks could be coming.
"The City and UT have recently reengaged discussions to outline next steps and potential timelines," Jackson said.
Representatives with the university did not respond to requests for comment about the zoning process or Muny's future as of press time.
Altogether, the relevant UT properties have significantly increased in value since 2021. The land originally involved in the city's zoning package, including Muny, is now valued at $1.68 billion in total.
