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1 By Will Pafford, Staff Writer
A resolution formally opposing the planned development of the Brackenridge tract will soon be drafted by the West Lake Hills City Council.
City Administrator Robert Wood said both of the two proposed plans place dense housing and commercial development immediately north of West Lake Hills, across Lady Bird Lake.
The City Council should draft the resolution to represent the interest of residents, Mayor Dave Claunch said.
Claunch said the resolution will object to the increased traffic on Redbud Trail the plans will produce.
“I hope the board of regents will consider the impact on the surrounding communities and not just on the university’s bottom line,” he said.
The 350-acre tract is owned by the University of Texas but leased to Austin with an agreement that expires in 2019, Claunch said.
The site currently contains a municipal golf course and biological field laboratory for UT, as well as residential and commercial development.
Although most of the tract is on the north side of Lady Bird Lake, a small portion was on the south side.
Developers built homes in this area along Stratford Drive, Claunch said.
I do not agree with the proposed resolution. Density in that area is a step in the right direction – density should be in the downtown area and not scattered in countless gated suburban communities along the city’s outskirts. Density downtown means less air pollution since fewer people will have to commute long distances, less roadway congestion on the major roadways, an increased demand for transit and a more sustainable way for the city to grow. West Lake Hills is being short sighted and not seeing the bigger picture.