Pro golf course proposal seeks final council approval Nov. 20

Developers of a proposed pro-quality golf course facility and city of Austin park officials were on hand Nov. 17 to answer questions about the East Austin project, which could gain final City Council approval Nov. 20.

Decker Lake Golf LLC, a private group led by Austin businessman Warren Hayes and retired PGA Tour golfer Joe Ogilvie, has proposed building two high-end golf courses within 735 acres of Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park land long earmarked for golf use. The 36-hole facility could host pro golf's most significant tournaments, Ogilvie told Community Impact Newspaper in September, including The Ryder Cup, U.S. Open or other major events.The private developers would fund the development and operation of the proposed golf facility. A percentage of revenue generated by the project would return to the city's Parks and Recreation Department for use in other parks facilities.

"I want to build more parks in East Austin," Hayes said during the Nov. 17 open house at Morris Williams Golf Course in East Austin nearby the site of his proposed project.

Having lived in East Austin the past 25 years, Hayes said he has long envisioned developing this proposed golf course since a bond proposal to build a resort-style golf facility at the same location was denied by voters in 2000. He started working two years ago on the Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park project, and as recent as April, Mayor Lee Leffingwell eluded to the possibility of a pro-quality golf course coming to the land, which has long been fenced off from public use.

During the public open house, city staff had on hand a blueprint of a golf course proposal from 1968 to show how long golf has been the envisioned use at the proposed site. There were also copies of the contract between Decker Lake Golf LLC and the city that council could agree to execute at its Nov. 20 meeting. If the contract is approved, the developers will host quarterly public meetings as part of an aggressive development timeline to provide project updates and address community concerns. Hayes said those meetings could begin by early next year, if the contract is approved Nov. 20.

In addition, the contract makes clear the golf courses could only be irrigated using reclaimed water generated by the city, rainwater caught on-site or another water source that must first gain City Council approval. Kevin Gomillion, golf division manager for the city's Parks and Recreation Department, said a cost-sharing agreement to extend reclaimed water lines to the park—as also stated in the proposed contract—could help bring the water needed to keep the courses irrigated, but he said it is too early to say how much the developer or city might pay for such a water line extension.

Andrew Bucknall, a resident in the nearby MLK Neighborhood and a former District 1 council candidate, said during the Nov. 17 open house that the project risks changing the natural environment as well as the cultural fabric of East Austin. He instead suggested holding off any approval of the project until the new council members take office early next year.

Other items slated for potential Austin City Council action on Nov. 20 include:

• The construction of micro units, or dwellings that are 500 square feet or smaller, may be allowed under city code. The item was delayed at previous council meetings due parking concerns.
• A percentage-based homestead exemption of .01 percent will be considered. The exemption is meant to give each home owner at least $5,000 in tax breaks, which is projected to cost the city a $3 million deficit during the next four years.
• Issue $350 million in bonds for projects at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
• A contentious plan to potentially handle the presence of coyotes in Austin will be under consideration.
• Changes could potentially be made to City Code to allow more use of reclaimed, gray and rainwater in Austin while maintaining protections for drinking water.
• City Code may be changed regarding when concrete can be poured in downtown Austin.
• Council will consider creating a group called Vision Zero whose mission will be to find ways to reduce Austin's number of deaths and injuries in the transportation network to zero.
• Consider setting public hearings on creating a swimming and off-leash area at Barton Springs, prohibiting fishing in Lady Bird Lake from the new Boardwalk Trail and using about 17,424 square feet of parkland for new roadways and bike lanes extending from Colony Park Drive and Colony Loop.
• Consider what best approach to take when rewriting the city's land development code as part of the CodeNEXT process.
• Allow construction of St. Elmo's Market and Lofts to proceed in South Austin.