The land, valued in an independent appraisal at $775,000, is on Convict Hill Road just west of Brodie Lane. A total of $787,000 from the FY 2021-22 capital budget of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department is available to fund the acquisition, including any closing costs.
Thomas Rowlinson, parks and recreation department principal planner, said the acquisition of this land can provide more continuity to the Latta Branch Greenbelt system.
"It was an opportunity for us to close a gap within this larger greenbelt system," Rowlinson said. "This greenbelt system connects multiple larger parks, including the Dick Nichols District Park over to the Stephenson Nature Preserve."
According to Rowlinson, if the acquisition is completed, the next steps would be securing the site, demolition and cleaning up the area so that it can be maintained until future construction.
As laid out in the parks and recreation department's long-range plan Our Parks, Our Future, investment priorities for Southwest Austin through 2034 include pocket parks, greenbelts, trails and more.
The document's authors also point out that there are abundant natural areas in Southwest Austin, but access to trails and outdoor amenities remains subpar.
"While the number of natural areas per capita is high, access to nature trails and community gardens along with several passive, active, and cultural facilities is below average or low in the Southwest Combined Planning Area," reads the document.
Rowlinson said there are no set plans yet for the potential park's features, but that the finished product would likely match other greenbelt parks around Austin.
"Since this is a greenbelt and our greenbelts are typically mostly trail-oriented, that would be the focus," Rowlinson said. "But there's nothing immediately planned beyond the site cleanup and site prep that I described."
The council recommendation for action document can be found here.
