Austin's "Muny" golf course could soon be city-owned

Austin's "Muny" golf course could soon be city-owned

A beloved West Austin golf course long linked to potential development plans could soon be purchased and preserved by the city of Austin.

Why it matters: A multiyear effort to save Lions Municipal Golf Course, known affectionately as "Muny," appears to be coming to fruition.

  • Potential development of the course has been fiercely opposed by Tarrytown neighbors and golfers alike.

    • Driving the news: Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, who has long advocated for the preservation of Muny, said Wednesday that he had helped broker "an excellent path forward" for the course, which is operated by the city on land owned by the University of Texas.

    Catch up quick: The golf course is part of a large tract given to UT to support its students and campus.

  • That land covers an additional 190 acres on both sides of Lake Austin Boulevard that includes the H-E-B, CVS, 7-Eleven, apartments, the land occupied by the LCRA Headquarters, Oyster Landing (Mozart's, Hula Hut and other businesses) and graduate student housing.

    • Between the lines: In 1950, Muny was the first public golf course in the South to desegregate, and it's listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a civil rights landmark.

    The Lions Municipal Golf Course sits on the north side of Lake Austin Boulevard. Image: Courtesy of Google Maps.

    The latest: Watson said a group of donors have "stepped up to contribute a very large amount of money" to UT to make possible the transfer of the golf course land to the city — along with the nearby West Austin Youth Association campus to WAYA.

  • Watson didn't specify the amount of money and his office didn't immediately return an Axios interview request.

    • What they're saying: "We stand ready to work with the city and the university to see it through and to ensure that Muny's history, green space and public access are protected," Ken Tiemann, chair of the Save Historic Muny District, said in a statement in support of the plan.

    What's next: The Austin City Council will consider the deal at its Nov. 19 meeting as part of changes to the Brackenridge Development Agreement, which sets terms for how UT may develop land along Lake Austin Boulevard.