Almost 500 acres of land along the Colorado River were donated in 1910 by George W. Brackenridge of San Antonio, a former UT regent, for the benefit of The University of Texas at Austin. Today the tract is approximately 350 acres of undeveloped and developed land that includes a municipal golf course, UT Austin housing for students, a biological field laboratory for the campus, a neighborhood youth facility, and various commercial buildings and enterprises on property leased from the university. UT System: Brackenridge Tract Map
Interestingly
enough, the University negotiated the Brackenridge Development Agreement with
the City of
In July 2006, U. T. System Board of Regents' Chairman James R. Huffines created the Brackenridge Tract Task Force and charged its members to review and identify facts and issues that impact use of the land, identify alternatives, and make recommendations concerning the Tract.
News Releases in Reverse
Chronological Order
Brackenridge Tract
Update: At the February 12 meeting of the UT Board of
Regents, the planning consultant team (Cooper Robertson) presented an updated
report regarding the status of their work on the master planning project for
the Brackenridge Tract. The Cooper
Robertson Powerpoint status report presentation is posted at http://www.utsystem.edu/BOR/AgendaBook/Feb09/2-09Vol2AB.pdf
(the first 96 pages) or by clicking here.
Opportunity For
Neighborhood Input On Brackenridge Tract Master Plan This Next Wednesday,
November 5, 2008 at the LCRA Hancock Building, Board Room, 3700 Lake Austin
Boulevard
A Weeklong Workshop will be held this week (November 03-07,
2008) concerning five proposed development scenarios for the Brackenridge Tract
Conceptual Master Plan, and there needs to be strong input from our
neighborhood at this workshop. Anyone interested in providing input
concerning the Brackenridge Tract development scenarios should sign up for a
“Public Work Session” on Wednesday, November 5, 2008. It is extremely important that there be
strong input from the local neighborhood community on these scenarios, so please
register and participate in either the Wednesday morning session (9:30am to
noon) or the Wednesday evening session (6:30pm to 9:00pm).
Prior
registration is required to provide public input at the
Wednesday Public Work Sessions.
Registration involves four simple steps.
- First, sign up for a login
account at http://www.utbracktract.com/?q=user/register
by providing a user name, email and personal info, and then clicking
“Create new account” at the bottom.
- Second, you will receive
an email with your user name and password at the email address you
provided.
- Third, use the user name
and password to log into http://www.utbracktract.com/?q=user. This is a one-time login, so it can be
used only once.
- Fourth,
after logging in, a page will be displayed showing your personal
information. On the right side of
the page, there will be two links saying “9:30 am session” and “6:30
pm session.” Click on one of
the links to sign up for that session.
Please, Please PLEASE SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE ON WEDNESDAY’S
MEETINGS!
Currently, only a quarter of the
allotted registrations have been taken for the Wednesday meetings, and it would
be a shame to have a poor turnout on this opportunity for public input, especially on something that is so important
to our neighborhood! Even if you are
not able to register as a participant, all are welcome as observers.
To start off the week, a Kick-off
Presentation will be held on Monday
evening (Nov. 3) to open the weeklong workshop.
The Master Planning Team will provide an overview of the week’s events
and activities, present the findings of its site and context analysis, and
introduce a set of draft “Design Principles” guiding the development of the
Tract. A Q&A session will conclude
the evening. The info will also be
posted on the Brackenridge Tract website (http://www.utbracktract.com/)
the following morning.
There will also be information posted during “Gallery
Hours” all week long for public viewing concerning background and progress
drawings.
On Thursday and Friday (Nov. 6-7), the Master Planning
Team will study the information and ideas gathered at the Public Work
Sessions, along with the analysis previously completed regarding the
redevelopment of the Tract, and summarize in the form of Framework or “Big
Idea” Diagrams.
Finally, a Closing Presentation meeting will be held on Friday evening (Nov.
7) where the Master Planning Team will present the summaries for the
five workshop scenarios. Following the
Workshop, the Master Planning Team will evaluate and consider the concepts
generated at the table discussions, as well as input from earlier public
meetings, surveys, comments cards, e-mails, and other correspondence, and the
web site, as it develops directions for the final plans to be based upon. A meeting to report back to the community
will be scheduled in the first few months of 2009. The two or more Conceptual
Master Plans will be presented to the University of Texas System Board of
Regents in June 2009.
Information Session Meeting Announced -- On August, 12,
2008, the Brackenridge Tract Master Planning Team conducted an “INFORMATION
SESSION” to share preliminary information about their findings and analyses pertaining
to the Brackenridge Tract. Details and a
video of their presentation are posted at http://www.utbracktract.com/?q=contact
(on the right side under "Project Update Archive"). There is also a survey from the Master
Planning Team that you can take that is posted at http://www.utbracktract.com/. Please take the survey to register your input
on your use of the Brack Tract and golf course, what conditions need to be
improved, what features would be desirable for the community, your preferences
for open space features and uses, your
preferences for transportation and street features, etc.
Brackenridge Tract Development Survey: On June 2, 2008, WANG
announced the results from WANG’s survey to obtain input from our West Austin
neighbors concerning the possible development at Brackenridge Tract and the
- 97%
of survey respondents are homeowners in the Central West Austin Combined
Planning Area that includes Bryker Woods, Pemberton and
- Survey
respondents were asked to determine what portions of the tract they would
like to see remain as it is today.
An overwhelming majority want Lions Municipal Golf Course to
remain. 49% insist that the course
remain as an 18 hole course and another 24% would like to see non-golfing
activities incorporated on the land along with the golf course. 17% would like to see the course become
a multi-use greenspace. Only
slightly behind Lions in the overall scoring was WAYA likely given its
value to the community and its heavy use.
A significant gap exists between those and the rest of the tract
including the existing commercial development, student housing and the
field lab.
- When
asked what challenges to
- When
posed with the possibility of redevelopment of the Brackenridge Tract, we
asked what respondents would like to see.
Parks and open space are most highly valued followed by traditional
homes, restaurants and cafes. In
the case of the latter, given the loss of neighborhood restaurants in a
shopping center in
WANG Presentation at November 9, 2007 Board of Regents Hearing To Receive Public Comment On Brackenridge Task Force Report: On behalf of WANG, August Harris presented the following presentation at the November 9 Board of Regents hearing regarding the Brackenridge Tract and the Task Force Recommendations:
WANG has requested that the Regents, in their request for proposal to planning firms competing for the land use planning contract, include the following:
A.
The planner will
actively engage with area stakeholders on an ongoing basis;
B.
The planner will
establish a contact team representing all area stakeholders;
C.
The planner will
participate in the City’s Neighborhood Planning Process for Central West Austin
immediately upon selection;
D.
The planner will
develop several scenarios for final consideration, some of which must
include:
i.
Lions Municipal Golf
Course
ii.
iii.
Graduate Student
Housing
iv.
The Biological Field
Lab
WANG reminded the Regents that we
are actively engaged in the City’s neighborhood planning process for Central
West Austin. WANG and the City have
repeatedly asked and urged that the University participate as it is a key
stakeholder. Any redevelopment will
dramatically impact the quality of life and the viability of Central West
Austin that includes
While the Task Force recommended
that the Brackenridge Tract Agreement be allowed to expire, WANG asked that the
agreement be honored in any future development as it represents a previous
negotiated consensus of stakeholders.
WANG also requested that the Regents’ planning team be directed to
utilize the City’s new commercial development guidelines, particularly where
vertical mixed use might be contemplated.
If mixed use were to be planned and developed, WANG would encourage
neighborhood retail with local ownership in order to discourage additional
congestion brought about by destination retail while encouraging small
business. If redevelopment occurs, WANG
requests that the Regent’s planning team look to the enhancement of neighborhood
vitality and livability.
Based on discussions with City
staff and commission members, WANG understands that the City will actively seek
affordable housing in
The Regents were reminded that
the ultimate redevelopment and its viability are going to be limited by traffic
issues. First of all, the Brackenridge
Tract is bounded by 2 east-west arteries in
WANG also submitted a written
request that any potential development will adversely affect our
watershed. All of the land lies within
either the
WANG realizes that the
Brackenridge Tract represents a significant opportunity, and not solely from an
economic perspective. Again, WANG will
address other issues related to the tract over time. WANG also realizes that the Regents are under
pressure from both the private sector and the legislature to otherwise utilize
this asset. WANG feels strongly that
this opportunity should be weighed against any adverse impact that it might
have on West Austin and its citizens as well as the students and faculty of the
UT
System News Release: Brackenridge
Tract Task Force Submits Report and Recommendations to UT System Board of
Regents (10/12/2007). On October 12, 2007, the Task Force presented
the findings and recommendations in a public meeting in the Board Room. More
information on the Task Force and a pdf version of the final report is
available at http://www.utsystem.edu/bor/bracktract.htm. The Task Force recommended the redevelopment
of 345 acres along Lake Austin Boulevard and the Colorado River that includes
500 units of affordable housing for married students (many with children), the
municipal golf course, a biological field lab, and the West Austin Youth
Association. In summary, the
Report recommends that a master plan be prepared to guide the development of
the entire tract by leasing (not selling) the tracts (including the Golf Course
and WAYA facility) to meet “pressing financial needs of the University.”
The Board of Regents will accept public comments on the report at its next meeting on Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m. – prior to discussion of the Task Force report and recommendations at a later meeting. Individuals interested in providing public comment to the Board of Regents should submit a request in writing by e-mail to bor@utsystem.edu or by mail to: Office of the Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, 201 W. 7th Street, Austin, Suite 820, Austin, Texas 78701. Written comments may also be provided.
For additional details, see http://www.utsystem.edu/news/2007/UTS-BrackenridgeTractTaskForceReport10-12-07.html. You can view the task force's report at http://www.utsystem.edu/bor/files/bracktract/report.pdf
UT System News Release: UT System Announces Oct. 17 Meeting to Receive Input from Neighborhood Residents (10/11/2006). The Brackenridge Tract Task Force will meet (on Tuesday, Oct. 17 beginning at 8:00 am in the Board Room on the 9th floor of Ashbel Smith Hall, 201 W. 7th Street) to obtain input from neighborhood residents, and will hold a “minute at the mike” session for people to share their ideas with them, starting at 1:30pm. (During the morning session they will get presentations on current operations/activities in the married student housing and bio field lab portions of the property).
UT System News Release: UT System Announces Members of Brackenridge Tract Task Force (07/27/06). The Task Force Members include:
- Dr. Patricia Clubb (vice president for employee and campus services at UT)
- Mr. Frank W. Denius (an Austin-based lawyer)
- Mr. Jesus Garza (executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Seton Healthcare Network.)
- Ms. Dealey Herndon (executive project manager at construction management firm Herndon, Stauch & Associates.)
- Mr. Kevin P. Hegarty (vice president and chief financial officer at UT)
- Dr. Scott C. Kelley (executive vice chancellor for business affairs at the UT System)
- Mr. Tom Meredith (CEO of MFI Capital LLC)
- Mr. C. Patrick Oles, Jr. (president and CEO of Central Texas commercial real estate firm Barshop and Oles Company Inc.)
- Ambassador Pamela P. Willeford (Retired U.S. Ambassador)
UT System News Release: UT Regents Create Task Force to Plan for Future Uses of Brackenridge Tract (07/14/2006). The Task Force is charged with reviewing and identifying facts and issues that impact use of the land, identify alternatives, and make recommendations concerning the Tract.
Background Materials
Map
of Brackenridge Tract
Regent
Frank C. Erwin Jr.’s, Review of the History of the Tract (July 1973)
November
2005 Board presentation/powerpoint by Jim Wilson, UT Austin
Webcast
archive of Wilson presentation (Windows Media Player for viewing)
Larry
Temple biography