Renewed interlocal agreement between city of Austin, Round Rock ISD under consideration

Refreshed guidelines for land development of properties owned by Round Rock ISD within the bounds of the city of Austin could soon require the school district to use dark sky compliant lighting.

What you need to know

The 25-year interlocal agreement between the city and school district was approved at a recent meeting of the city of Austin's Environmental Commission on Jan. 7, with a few stipulations:

• The district must use dark sky compliant lighting for new facilities or light replacements
• A proposed exception for administrative procedures required for removal of heritage trees must be removed from the agreement.

The proposed agreement also includes an exemption from considering sports fields with artificial turf as part of a facility's total amount of impervious cover, provided that it:

• uses code-compliant water quality controls via green stormwater infrastructure
• includes a minimum five-inch gravel base layer for water storage
• is certified as free of PFAs, a cluster of chemicals that break down very slowly over time, by the manufacturer

How it works

The interlocal agreement allows the school district to develop its property within the city of Austin in a streamlined administrative process. RRISD must still follow all technical codes, such as building and fire codes.

Both the city and school district will have liaisons to communicate and mediate any disputes regarding the agreement.

What's next?

The proposed agreement will also be reviewed by the city of Austin's Planning Commission at a future meeting.