With the resolution now approved, a proposed ordinance outlining the new protections could be brought forward by May 28.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council has approved a new initiative aimed at strengthening protections for public parkland and increasing transparency around any future attempts to condemn those properties.
City officials said the measure will establish a clearer process for handling potential condemnations of parkland, including land jointly owned by the City of Austin and Austin ISD.
District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter, who sponsored the measure, told KVUE that more than 30% of the city is considered park‑deficient, meaning many residents still do not have a park within walking distance of their homes. He said parkland has frequently been taken for major infrastructure projects, including highway construction and school expansions.
Those concerns have resurfaced as Austin ISD evaluates how to repurpose several closed campuses, many of which also serve as neighborhood parks. Alter said these overlapping issues make it necessary for the city to reassess how it manages public land.
“Public lands are so special,” Alter said. “These are lands that are only diminishing. We’re only getting fewer and fewer. And so it is vital that we protect our public spaces for the public and for the environment.”
City documents show Austin ISD has already condemned about 95 acres of jointly owned school‑park properties. Alter said he hopes the new process will improve coordination between the city and the district, whether that involves relocating park space on a campus or reinvesting funds back into the surrounding community.
With the resolution now approved, a proposed ordinance outlining the new protections could be brought forward by May 28.