The former Rosedale School was built in 1939 and served students ages 3-22 with special needs until they moved to a new campus in 2022. Plans call for preserving and restoring the building's front facade, a developer representative told council. (Jessica McLaren/Community Impact)
Council approved the rezoning on all three readings, changing the 4.62-acre property at 2117 W. 49th St. from single-family to multifamily zoning, city documents show. The zoning includes a 75-foot height limit, city staff said at the meeting.
Because neighbors filed a valid petition against the rezoning, it needed a supermajority of the council to pass.
Council also adopted an amendment from District 7 Council Member Mike Siegel. It directs the city manager to consider using street impact fees for traffic safety improvements tied to the property, including at the intersection of 49th Street and Burnet Road.
The zoning allows OHT's proposed 435-unit plan but does not approve a specific project. Siegel said a smaller compromise development would also require the same zoning because of the city's site-area rules.
The city posted a notice at the site after AISD filed its rezoning request in 2025. Since February 2024, the campus has been used as a training facility for the Travis County Sheriff's Office.(Jessica McLaren/Community Impact)
What they're saying
Siegel said council delayed the case to give Austin ISD and neighbors time to negotiate. He said his understanding was that the two sides were close to a settlement after a daylong mediation, but the deal fell apart in the days afterward and talks have ended.
"I'm disappointed that even though today we're going to approve zoning for the former Rosedale School, that will not lead to housing being built," Siegel said.
Rosedale resident Daniel Ray, a defendant in AISD's lawsuit, told council that neighbors had offered to meet the district halfway and still plan to fight in court.
"We're confident in our legal position and are prepared to carry the fight to the next stage," Ray said.
The background
AISD agreed in 2025 to sell the closed campus to developer OHT Partners for $26 million as the district works to close a budget shortfall, according to previous CommunityImpact reporting. The city's Zoning and Platting Commission recommended the rezoning 9-2 in March.
Neighborhood group Play Fair With Rosedale has proposed a smaller "missing middle" alternative of about 150-225 units.
A Play Fair With Rosedale sign stands at West 48th Street and Rosedale Avenue. The group formed in fall 2025 in response to the rezoning proposal.(Jessica McLaren/Community Impact)
What's next
The sale still depends on AISD winning its lawsuit against Rosedale-area homeowners over a 1938 deed restriction. That case remains unresolved in Travis County District Court with no trial date set, according to the district's project website.
