Austin considers eminent domain for radio tower project near West Lake Hills

Austin could launch legal proceedings against owner NW Communications of Austin Inc.—Fox 7 Austin—after attempting to buy a portion of the media company's property there.

"The City and the property owner have been unable to agree on the value of the needed acquisition," city staff reported.

The city values the land at $61,505, while the Travis Central Appraisal District assessed it at $1.83 million this year. Acquiring the land and building a new radio tower could save Austin at least $200,000 annually, according to the city.

"This acquisition will enable GATRRS to eliminate its dependence on a leased facility at another location for its critical radio infrastructure in future years," staff wrote.

The Mount Larson property is located just outside city limits in Austin's extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ. The site was identified as "ideal" for tower construction based on reviews by Austin Technology Services and a third-party consultant.

The financial services department didn't respond to several questions about the acquisition process and proposed tower as of press time. In response to a public information request for Austin's assessments of the Mount Larson property's value and suitability for the tower project, the city is asking the Texas Attorney General's Office to allow those materials to be withheld. The city is also seeking to withhold records documenting the GATRRS Governing Board's most recent public meeting in March, which featured discussion of the proposed tower.

Zooming out

GATRRS was developed in the 2000s as a radio communications resource for Austin, Travis County, Austin ISD and The University of Texas at Austin.

The radio system currently uses 17 towers across Central Texas that support city and county first responders, local emergency service districts, and other municipalities and public entities. It also hosts state and federal agencies.

If the land is acquired and the proposed tower project moves ahead, all four entities will share all construction and operational costs for the structure and radio systems, according to the city.