60 years later, city aims to retain rural spirit

By Joe Olivieri

The City of Sunset Valley will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a community event Sept. 20.

Mayor Rose Cardona said the event is intended to connect the city's roots to its thriving present.

"The residents in the two newer neighborhoods didn't live here when we didn't have the shopping centers or [when Brodie Lane was smaller]," she said. "We want to get everybody excited about what the city used to be and explain, 'This is why we have our impervious cover restrictions,' or 'This is why we talk about water issues so much.'"

Sunset Valley was incorporated on Sept. 17, 1954. Prior to that date, area residents petitioned to call an incorporation election, and supporters won by a 45-6 vote, according to the book "An Informal History of Sunset Valley: 1954–2004" by Carol Knight.

Knight quoted resident Helen Vaughan as saying Sunset Valley seemed to be the natural choice to name the village.

"The entire area was a tree-filled valley surrounded by gently rolling hills located on the western edge of Austin, where it was closest to the sunset," she said.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the village was known for its Christmas light displays, Knight wrote.

During that same time, the village sponsored a youth rodeo that became the largest in Texas, attracting more than 250 participants and more than 1,000 attendees.

Former City Councilman Burford Westland said he built his home in Sunset Valley in 1967. He said he remembers Brodie Lane when it was a two-lane country road.

"A bunch of people, like [myself], wanted to get out of Austin," he said. "We wanted to live away from civilization."

For decades the village spared with the city of Austin regarding boundary disputes, Westland said.

Properties were annexed from Austin while others were released back to the city in the early years, he said.

Infrastructure proved a challenge to the village. Sunset Valley worked to build water and wastewater lines for its residents, according to Knight.

Today the city buys water from Austin but maintains historic permits for a well system that has been out of service for several years.

Russell Harding said he moved to the city in November 1976. At the time several residents owned horses.

"The Brodie Oaks shopping center wasn't there," he said. "It was a beautiful grassy area where you could see sheep."

He said the city faced financial challenges in its early years.

"None of the shopping centers were there yet. We were totally dependent on property taxes," he said. "We had to wait from year to year until the property taxes came in. There were times when we didn't have the money to replace tires on a police car. We had to wait until the money came in, in October."

In the mid-1970s, the city engaged in a heated debate with Austin ISD regarding the construction of the Toney Burger Center, according to Knight.

In 1976 the district built the center, which includes a 15,000-seat football stadium, 5,000-seat indoor stadium, 3,000-seat baseball stadium and parking lot for 150 buses.

Today, Sunset Valley is a destination for high school sporting events and graduations.

Over time Sunset Valley has continued to expand its police department and public services.

Today Sunset Valley is known for its shopping. Residents pay no city property taxes; more than 90 percent of the city's revenue comes from sales tax from its major shopping centers, Sunset Valley Homestead, Sunset Valley Marketfair and Sunset Valley Village. The city is also home to The Home Depot, Lowes and Kohl's.

The city hosts the annual Austin Pow Wow as well as a farmers market on Saturdays.