Cedar Park offers $4.1M for property

In November, Austin City Council member Laura Morrison asked how or if Austin's environmental regulations for the land differ from Cedar Park's.

"I understand that ... if we were interested in working with you to put limits on the tract as a condition of sale, that it could well impact the price," she said.

Austin City Council directed staff to continue negotiating a deal with Cedar Park but to also research the cities' varying environmental regulations and offer recommendations at a future meeting.

"I don't know of another single incidence where we sold a piece of property that's in somebody else's jurisdiction and then tried to impose our limitations on that property," said Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who opposed the regulations.

Powell said the land is already subject to U.S. Fish and Wildlife regulations, the Endangered Species Act and water runoff rules set by the Lower Colorado River Authority.

"The site has been subject to blasting and digging since the '30s and looks like the surface of the moon today," Powell said. "But it's got some real potential to do some beautiful things with its proximity to preserve land."