Muny Preservation Deal Heads to Council Vote Nov. 19

A proposed agreement preserving Lions Municipal Golf Course at 2901 Enfield Road goes before Austin City Council on Nov. 19, 2026. The deal would convey the 141-acre course, known as Muny, from UT to the city and preserve it as an 18-hole public course in perpetuity. A regulating plan for the surrounding development area is expected in spring 2027.

UT retains roughly 190 acres of the Brackenridge Tract along Lake Austin Boulevard for future development. Overall FAR for the 190.26-acre area is 0.6:1, with no individual site exceeding 5:1 without Council rezoning. Building heights could be capped as tall as 105 feet. Impervious cover is capped at 75% sitewide and 85% per site, with a 200-foot setback from Lady Bird Lake.

The 155 acres holding Muny and the adjacent West Austin Youth Association campus are appraised at more than $680 million. Anonymous donors have proposed a large gift to UT to compensate for the donated course; the amount is undisclosed.

Muny opened in 1924 and became the first public golf course in the South to integrate in 1950. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a civil rights landmark. The deal also includes amending UT's Mueller property lease, exchanging city rights-of-way, and creating a tax increment reinvestment zone.