GOVERNMENT Citing community divisions, o cials shelve Zilker Park Vision Plan
ZILKER PLAN PAUSED While some parts of the Zilker Park Vision Plan could eventually be realized, the park plan was killed by city o cials just weeks before it was set to be voted on. Below are some proposals included in the plan: Zone 1: Land Bridge • Restore the polo eld • Realign Stratford Drive • Build an underground parking garage • Build a land bridge • Build a new theater on the Great Lawn • Restore the land ll area • Build a new parking garage under MoPac • Connect Zilker trailhead to Butler Hike and Bike Trail Zone 2: Land ll
BY BEN THOMPSON
ZONE 1
Weeks before Austin City Council was set to take a nal vote on the controversial Zilker Park Vision Plan, city o cials announced that the proposed framework was e ectively dead following more than two years of development and public debate. What’s happening: After three council members released a statement opposing the draft plan Aug. 7, Mayor Kirk Watson said interim City Manager Jesús Garza had ended the planning process. City o cials said contention among Austinites over high-pro le elements in the plan led to it being shelved. Going forward, Watson said the city will take a break before circling back to popular items while trying to reach common ground on more disputed aspects. Throughout the planning process, dozens of res- idents have voiced concerns over bringing negative environmental and climate outcomes; the park’s commercialization; park accessibility; respect for the property’s history; public involvement; a pro- posed nonpro t management structure; and more. Others have stated support for the proposal, which aims to address the park’s overuse. The backstory: After determining that the trea- sured city landmark was being “loved to death,” the Austin Parks and Recreation Department kicked o a long-range vision planning process for Zilker Metropolitan Park’s management and improvement in late 2020. Led bythe city and consultants with Design Workshop, the $600,000 planning e ort stretched on for more than two years through multiple rounds of community engagement.
Zilker Metropolitan Park covers 351 acres near downtown.
DARCY SPRAGUE COMMUNITY IMPACT
ZONE 3
MOPAC
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ZONE 6
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ZONE 4
• Combine sports elds into sports area • Restore polo eld Zone 3: Sports Area
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Zone 5: South of Barton Springs Road • Build a parking garage • Remove surface parking lot
Zone 6: Barton Creek • Add controlled Barton Creek water access • Restore Barton Creek banks • Relocate existing bridge over Barton Creek to Toomey Road • Build new bike and pedestrian bridge near welcome center
Zone 4: Welcome Center • Remove surface parking lot • Enhance existing playground • Build a welcome center
• Improve drainage • Create new play areas
many areas of need and improvements for Zilker that would’ve potentially been rolled out over the decades to come. Those dozens of items range from smaller landscaping and visitor upgrades to larger-scale undertakings across the park, including the closure of roadways and the development of major new facilities, such as multiple parking garages and a new theater on the park’s Great Lawn. The plan also called for some local nonpro ts to become involved in park operations in collabora- tion with the city, a similar arrangement to those Austin has in place for resources such as the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail and some other
civic parks. The plandidn’t lock in timelines or funding for any of its proposals, all of which would’ve likely gone through environmental reviews, budgetary consideration and further community deliberations before moving forward. What they’re saying: “We know that the Zilker Park Vision Plan proposes many improvements that have community consensus, such as additional green space, shade trees, erosion control, and bathrooms. Other elements, however, seem to be ash points of irreconcilable di erences,” Council Members Ryan Alter, Zo Qadri and Paige Ellis wrote in the statement.
story YOUR BUSINESS HAS A The details: As developed by community members and consultants, the wide-ranging plan covers
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NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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