Community news about potential land use changes that will affect UT’s Brackenridge Field Lab. Read more to see how you can help:
UT’s Brackenridge Field Lab is UT Austin’s oldest and most accessible field research station situated near the heart of Austin on the banks of the Colorado River. It houses a rich diversity of Central Austin plant life and is under threat of development.
The Brackenridge Tract, on which BFL sits, also includes the Lions Municipal Golf Course. These properties currently exist under a land agreement with the City of Austin. Due to an anonymous donor and pressure from the Save Muny movement, UT Austin is nearing a deal to sell the municipal golf course to the city, placing it fully under the city’s care. However, in the process, UT has proposed several amendments to the Brackenridge Tract agreement which, if passed without revision, will immediately open up Brackenridge Field Lab for non-university development (including commercial uses, high rises, etc.)
Brackenridge Field Lab is a vital resource for the students and researchers of UT, as well as the local community and ecosystem. Several rare plant species grow there and nowhere else, as the surrounding land is all developed. BFL hosts and protects an astounding amount of biodiversity, in both flora and fauna, and represents a piece of ecological and human history for Central Austin that should receive permanent protections.
Please spread the word for this issue, and consider advocating for the protection of this unique piece of Austin habitat.
Upcoming Meetings and Advocacy:
– Sign the petition. This will be used to show UT and the City of Austin that the community is paying attention and cares about the fate of BFL.
– Join the Friends of BFL whatsapp group to communicate with other advocates and receive updates on the situation.
– November 10th – Austin City Planning Commission Meeting. Register in OPPOSITION to Agenda Item 15. To provide written comment to the Planning Commission, email ella.garcia@austintexas.gov.
– November 19th – Austin City Council Meeting. Unless the vote is delayed, this meeting will decide whether the City Council approves or denies the proposed changes to the land agreement. Anyone can sign up to speak at this meeting. Past meetings have used this online system to register, which opens the Monday before the meeting (Nov 16th) at 10 AM and closes two days later on the Wednesday at 12 PM. You can also register in-person at City Hall beginning at 12 PM the Wednesday before the meeting, and closes 45 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin.
