For more than 50 years, Austinites fought to protect historic Lions Municipal Golf Course from development; now a proposed deal would transfer its 141 acres to the city while UT develops 190 acres nearby

For more than half a century, Austin residents have fought to protect the historic Lions Municipal Golf Course from being taken over by property developers. Now, a proposed agreement between the City of Austin and The University of Texas at Austin (UT) would transfer full ownership of the 141-acre golf course to the city, protecting the historic green space for the future. Under the deal, the university would receive updated rules for developing about 190 acres of nearby land it owns along Lake Austin Boulevard. The agreement could end a long-running dispute over the future of the course, known affectionately to locals as Muny. It sits on valuable waterfront land near downtown Austin.

Transferring ownership of a civil rights landmark

Muny opened in 1924 on land owned by the university system along Lady Bird Lake. The City of Austin took over the lease in 1937 and has run the course as a public golf facility ever since. The course is popular with local golfers, but it also holds an important place in history. In 1950, Muny became the first public golf course in the southern United States to integrate. It allowed African American players to use the course before courts ordered desegregation. This historic decision helped the site earn a place on the National Register of Historic Places. “This is a great day for Austin,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson in an official statement released by the city on 14 October 2026. “Our community has been working for more than 50 years to save Muny. That work and our strong partnership with the University have paid off and now we will be able to preserve this precious greenspace and a key part of not only Austin’s history, but the entire country’s.” The course remains Austin’s busiest municipal golf facility. It hosts more than 75,000 rounds of golf each year, surrounded by historic oak trees.

Updating the land agreement

The proposed deal will make formal changes to the 1989 Brackenridge Development Agreement. This agreement is a contract between local government bodies that sets rules for how the university system can develop its land along Lake Austin Boulevard. In exchange for transferring the 141-acre golf course to the city, the city and university will agree on a development plan for the university’s remaining 190 acres in the area. This land includes the nearby Brackenridge Field Laboratory and surrounding properties. According to the official announcement published by the City of Austin, the updated agreement also includes several related city actions. These include changing UT’s long-term lease for city-owned property at the former Mueller airport site, exchanging certain public rights-of-way, and creating a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) to help pay for infrastructure and public improvements across the development area. The land deal would allow the university to move ahead with planned commercial and residential development on its remaining properties. At the same time, it would ensure that the golf course stays intact as open public space.

Guiding development along the waterfront

City leaders said the agreement balances the need to protect public green space with plans for careful urban growth along the sensitive waterfront of Lady Bird Lake. “Development in this special area, along Lady Bird Lake, must be thoughtful and executed with the deepest care,” said Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax in an official statement. “The agreement will enable both the City and the University to guide development in a way that accomplishes each of our goals.” Preservation groups, neighborhood associations, and local golfers have spent decades campaigning to stop commercial development at the course. Over the years, supporters formed nonprofit groups, raised money, and contacted state lawmakers and university regents to find a permanent way to protect the land.

Timeline for final approval

The legal process for transferring the land will move through public city procedures over the coming months. City staff are scheduled to explain the proposal to Austin’s Environmental Commission and Planning Commission during October. The updated Brackenridge Development Agreement will then go before the Austin City Council for a formal vote on 19 November 2026. After that first vote, city staff and university representatives will spend the winter preparing the detailed development plan and working out the financial structure for the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. These remaining details will be reviewed by municipal boards before returning to the City Council for final approval in the spring of 2027. This would complete the legal transfer of the golf course land to the city.