20261021-003, City of Austin and University of Texas Brackenridge Interlocal Agreement Presentation — original pdf

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City of Austin and The University of Texas Brackenridge Interlocal Agreement Environmental Commission Briefing | October 21, 2026 Agenda ▪ Background ▪ Lions Lease Agreement ▪ Current Agreement ▪ Proposed Amendments o Non-regulatory elements o Regulatory elements ▪ Schedule ▪ Discussion 2 Why are we doing this? ▪ Significantly improve development requirements and standards for the area in comparison to standards in the 1989 BDA. ▪ Address longstanding community concerns about Muny’s future and keep it affordable and accessible to all who want to play, especially given its significance as a civil rights landmark. ▪ This opportunity has come to us through the confluence of decades of work by the Austinites who love Muny, the commitment of UT and the City, and the generosity of the donors. 3 Background - Brackenridge In 1910, George W. Brackenridge, philanthropist and longest serving regent for the University of Texas at Austin, donated approximately 500 acres of land along the Colorado River to the University, known as the “Brackenridge Tract.” 4 Site Boundaries Today, the area includes approximately 350 acres of undeveloped and developed land containing the Lions Municipal Golf Course, UT student housing, the Brackenridge Field Laboratory, a youth sports complex and various commercial buildings. 5 Background - Lions ▪ Lions Municipal Golf Course (Muny) occupies 141 acres of University-owned property. o The Austin Lions Club leased the property in 1924 to design and build a golf course. o The City of Austin took over the lease in 1936/1937 and has operated Muny ever since. o In 1950, Muny became the first public golf course in the South to integrate. o In 1972, Frank Erwin sought to cancel the lease, prompting the “Save Muny” campaign. o For more than 50 years, the course’s community of golfers, neighbors, and students has worked to save Muny and preserve its role as a public course. o Today, Muny is home to a diverse community of golfers of all ages and backgrounds and is Austin’s most-used public golf course, with 75,000 rounds played each year. 6 Lions Lease Agreement ▪ The Lions Municipal Golf Course 1987 lease agreement between the City and the University is separate from the BDA o Golf course (141.4 acres) and West Austin Youth Association (14.6 acres) tracts are excluded from the BDA ▪ Lease was set to terminate in 1990 unless the Texas legislature first adopted a “land use plan acceptable for the property known as the Brackenridge Tract” ▪ Lease has been amended and extended 5 times, the last in May 2020 on a month-to-month basis 7 Current Agreement ▪ The 1989 interlocal agreement (Brackenridge Development Agreement or BDA) between The University of Texas and the City serves as a settlement regarding authority to regulate development of University-owned land for non-University purposes. o Without the BDA there are no development standards. o The existing BDA has dated or missing standards relative to current code. ▪ For non-University/State purposes, the BDA: o Establishes tract-specific development requirements and limited environmental regulations. o Allows for a range of height limits. o Establishes a range of impervious cover limits. ▪ City is responsible for planning, funding, and constructing utility capacities to serve development of the property. 8 Brackenridge Tract 9 Proposed Amendments: Non-Regulatory ▪ Convey Muny to the City of Austin for use as a golf course. ▪ Vacate certain rights-of-way for the University. ▪ Replace existing affordable student housing on Brackenridge property (on or off-site). ▪ Modify the University's existing lease at Mueller. ▪ Establish a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) to fund public infrastructure: o Area is predominantly undeveloped, lacks infrastructure (ex: sidewalks, water/wastewater lines, drainage system, etc.), and street layouts are inadequate. o Must comply with affordable housing requirements under City’s TIRZ policy (on or off-site). o City and University representatives will work together over the coming months to develop details of infrastructure requirements, cost estimates, reimbursement timing, etc. o Fulfills existing obligation to fund infrastructure under the current BDA. ▪ Adopt a regulating plan that reflects the BDA, as amended. 10 Proposed Amendments: Regulatory ▪ Impervious Cover o Current BDA: Maximum impervious cover amounts range from 30% to 90%; o Amendment: Maximum impervious cover for the entire 190 acres at 75%. • For each area developed, the maximum impervious cover will be 85%. • Impervious cover can be transferred between developed areas. ▪ Environmental Setbacks o Maintains the existing 200-foot setback from Lady Bird Lake. o Adds a new 50-foot setback on each side of the minor waterway. o Establishes an agreement to review critical environmental features and determine the appropriate setback based on that review. 11 Proposed Amendments: Regulatory ▪ Trees o Adds heritage tree requirements based on the City's regulations and the University's policy. ▪ Water Quality and Drainage Requirements o Current BDA: no requirements o Amendment: Except as otherwise noted, adopts the City's current requirements. o Not regulated in current BDA and not proposed to be regulated in amendment: • Cut & Fill • Construction on Slopes 12 Proposed Amendments: Regulatory ▪ Floor to Area Ratio (FAR) for the entire area is .6:1 o Because of setbacks from the river, a tributary, and Lake Austin Blvd. (LAB), the amount of land that can be developed is less than 190.26 acres. o Since the land that can be developed is less than 190.26 acres, each developed area can exceed .6:1 FAR; however, no developed area can exceed 5:1 FAR unless the City Council authorizes an increase in FAR for the developed area using the process to rezone property. ▪ Buildings cannot be taller than 65 feet when measured from LAB o Maximum height for buildings constructed along and north of LAB is 65 feet. o Maximum height for buildings constructed south of, but not along, LAB is 105 feet. o Compatibility requirements apply north of LAB. 13 Schedule to Amend the BDA ▪ Commission Briefings o Environmental Commission – October 21, 2026 o Planning Commission – October 27, 2026 ▪ City Council and UT Board of Regents Action o Each body will, separately, consider the proposed terms of the amended BDA • Austin City Council: November 19, 2026 • Board of Regents: November 2026 14 Steps to be completed in Spring 2027 ▪ Finalize right-of-way vacations ▪ Amend Mueller ground lease ▪ Develop Regulating Plan that reflects the amended BDA, followed by commission briefings/consideration ▪ Develop TIRZ Preliminary Project and Financing Plan ▪ City Council action on regulating plan and TIRZ ▪ Conveyance of Lions to City of Austin 15 Recap ▪ The City and The University of Texas at Austin have been working collaboratively over several years to address potential development within the Brackenridge Tract. Today, current conditions are aligned for both parties to pursue a mutually beneficial agreement. ▪ The amendments will enable both the City and the University to guide development in a way that improvements development standards and preserves green space. 16 Discussion