Sunset Valley City Council on Feb. 6 unanimously accepted a settlement agreement in which both the city and the owners of The Barn development dropped their lawsuits against each other, ending a seven-year conflict between the parties.

City Administrator Clay Collins said the lawsuit was dropped because the development completed the city’s final inspection and was in compliance with city code.

“It’s been such a relief, and we’re happy it’s all over,” The Barn’s co-owner Anita Dunn told Community Impact Newspaper on March 2. “We had to get over that and become part of the community.”

Originally purchased to build a curling facility, The Barn, located at 6218 Brodie Lane, Sunset Valley, opened Oct. 27 as a simple bar inside a 1950s-era home. In the four months since, Dunn said she has opened a pool room with pool tables and dart boards and now has four food trucks housed on the property.

The old barn on the opposite end of the property, for which the business is named, has been renovated into a 1,000-square-foot performance space, she said. The large garage doors were added to one side of the structure, allowing people to bring their chairs and sit in the lawn to listen to music performed inside, Dunn said.

“The goal is to turn The Barn into a music venue,” she said. “I think Southwest Austin lacks a traditional, Austin venue that captures the laidback spirit of being outdoors and drinking a beer.”

The venue’s first official gig was held March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day, she said.

Dunn said she is currently constructing a coffee bar alongside the traditional bar, which will allow the facility to open earlier in the morning.

She said since the settlement, some city officials have been lunch patrons.

Future of the curling facility


While Anita and Dennis Dunn initially wanted to build a curling facility in Sunset Valley, she said due to the couple’s previous experiences with the city they are looking elsewhere in the Austin area to carry out the plan.

Dunn said she has had meetings with representatives from the Austin Parks and Recreation department and the cities of Cedar Park and Round Rock to pitch the curling concept.

“Obviously we’re a little gun shy now after spending the last seven years of our lives on this project,” she said. “We’ll take the next few months to test the climate and see how each of these three cities feel about bringing curling to the area.”

Creating designated ice for curling has been a dream for the couple, she said.