The Muny deal: Austin, UT and Lions Municipal Golf Course
Last checked: October 15, 2026. This page collects what has been reported about the proposed agreement that would give the City of Austin ownership of Lions Municipal Golf Course, known as Muny. It explains what is proposed and when it will be decided. The Austin Bulletin takes no side.
What was announced?
On October 14, 2026, the City said it is close to an agreement with the University of Texas at Austin (UT) that would convey ownership of Muny to the City. The deal would be part of amendments to the 1989 Brackenridge Development Agreement, which sets how UT may develop the land it owns on both sides of Lake Austin Boulevard. City of Austin, October 14
A final agreement needs approval from the Austin City Council and UT's Board of Regents. Community Impact, October 14
Why now?
Anonymous donors. Mayor Kirk Watson said donations from several longtime Austinites to UT make the deal possible. The donors and the amount have not been made public. UT said it is "immensely grateful to anonymous donors who have stepped in with a generous gift proposal." Community Impact, October 14
What would change?
As proposed, according to the City and Community Impact:
- Muny would be conveyed to the City and kept as an 18-hole golf course.
- The West Austin Youth Association (WAYA) campus next to Muny would be transferred to that recreation nonprofit.
- The rest of UT's land along Lake Austin Boulevard would open to future development. The City would write a regulating plan for it. Rules under discussion could cap buildings at 65 feet, require setbacks of at least 200 feet from Lady Bird Lake and limit how much land new construction can cover. UT has not set any development plans.
- A Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), a form of tax increment financing, could be created to support new infrastructure there.
- UT's Brackenridge Apartments would remain for the near future.
- UT's ground lease at Mueller, several acres at 1400 Barbara Jordan Boulevard, would be updated to allow student and faculty housing.
- City rights-of-way on UT's campuses would be exchanged to university oversight.
Sources: City of Austin, October 14 · Community Impact, October 14
The numbers
- 141 acres at 2901 Enfield Road: the Muny property. Community Impact
- More than $680 million: the appraised value of the 155 acres holding Muny and WAYA's campus. Community Impact
- Just under $500,000 a year: what Austin pays UT to lease the course. Community Impact
- More than 75,000 rounds a year: the most used public course in Austin. City of Austin
What people have said
- Mayor Kirk Watson: "This is a great day for Austin. Our community has been working for more than 50 years to save Muny." He also said the City would keep the green space "really at no cost to the taxpayer." City of Austin · Community Impact
- City Manager T.C. Broadnax: "Development in this special area, along Lady Bird Lake, must be thoughtful and executed with the deepest care." City of Austin
- UT Austin: it is working with the City on a path for the Brackenridge tract "that honors our fiduciary responsibilities and stewardship obligations, which we will ultimately take to our Board of Regents for consideration." KXAN
- Scotty Sayers, Muny Conservancy co-chair: "The concern in preserving the golf course has always been that it sits on a very valuable piece of real estate." FOX 7
- Ken Tiemann, Save Historic Muny District chair: the district "fully and enthusiastically supports this proposed agreement." Community Impact
As of October 15, none of the outlets we read had reported organized opposition to the proposal. This page will add other views as they are reported.
How we got here
- 1924: Muny opens on more than 140 acres of UT land along what is now Lady Bird Lake.
- 1937: The City takes over the lease and has run the course since.
- 1950: Muny becomes the first public golf course in the South to integrate. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a civil rights landmark.
- 1989: The City and UT sign the Brackenridge Development Agreement, amended several times since.
- 2009: A proposal to redevelop the whole Brackenridge tract, Muny included, as a dense mixed-use community.
- 2019: State legislation sponsored by Watson, then a state senator, creates the Save Historic Muny District. The City has leased the course month to month since.
- 2021: A City rezoning effort covering Muny and other UT sites stalls without a result.
Sources: City of Austin · Community Impact · KXAN
Dates to watch
- October 21: Environmental Commission briefing on the amended agreement.
- October 27: Planning Commission briefing.
- November 19: The City Council takes up the amended agreement.
- Spring 2027: The regulating plan and the TIRZ return to boards, commissions and the Council.
Sources: Community Impact · City of Austin