{"id":253021,"date":"2026-04-16T18:58:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/253021\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T18:58:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:58:25","slug":"austin-city-council-seeks-to-shape-future-of-austin-isd-campuses-as-closures-loom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/253021\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin City Council seeks to shape future of Austin ISD campuses as closures loom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe city of Austin is seeking to have a say in the future of some Austin ISD <\/a>campuses\u201410 of which are slated to close<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n

At a March 26 meeting<\/a>, the Austin City Council<\/a> adopted a resolution to form a policy around the redevelopment of public land by AISD and other entities. Additionally, council approved refining the city\u2019s process for managing condemnations of city-owned parkland, including some AISD school playgrounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese schools are located centrally in our neighborhood,\u201d council member Vanessa Fuentes said in an interview with Community Impact. \u201cThey’re the heartbeat of our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The overview<\/p>\n

AISD will close 10 campuses after this school year to address mounting budgetary concerns<\/a> and declining enrollment. This spring, the district held meetings with community members around repurposing these campuses<\/a> for other uses, including leasing or selling the properties.<\/p>\n

The district’s repurposing conversations have prompted action from the Austin City Council to increase the city\u2019s involvement in how this public land might be used going forward.<\/p>\n

Fuentes\u2019 resolution seeks to preserve publicly owned land for uses that are beneficial to the community. Following council\u2019s approval, the city manager will develop a land policy around when to acquire or partner in the redevelopment of land owned by other public groups, such as local school districts, CapMetro<\/a>, Central Health<\/a>, Austin Community College <\/a>and Travis County<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These sites could be used for housing, health care services, food pantries, libraries, workspaces, community centers and child care facilities, among other purposes, according to the resolution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the school gets redeveloped into will depend largely on the community around it,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cWhat it turns into should be subject to community feedback and to the vision and plans of the school district.\u201d<\/p>\n

What else?<\/p>\n

Council member Ryan Alter said his resolution aims to raise transparency and protect the public\u2019s interest in the condemnation of city parkland by other governmental entities.<\/p>\n

Austin does not have enough parkland, Alter said. The city is only at 70% of its goal of providing all residents access to parks and public spaces, according to the resolution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have too many areas in the city, especially in East Austin, that are what we would deem park deficient, which means you really can’t walk to a park from your home,\u201d Alter told Community Impact.<\/p>\n

Previously, the city could greenlight the condemnation of city parkland without the council\u2019s approval, he said. Under Alter’s resolution, the city manager must now develop a process for managing these condemnations, including:<\/p>\n

Posting discussions or action items on council agendas and notifying the Environmental Commission<\/a>, Parks and Recreation Board <\/a>and other partner entitiesConsidering when to conduct an independent appraisalDeveloping a framework for when the city should assert its rights over condemned land when not used for public purposesCreating a plan for the replacement of parkland and how mitigation funds are used for park purposesSince 2020, AISD has condemned 95 acres from the city across 10 campuses, according to city documents. The city currently has joint ownership of parks at Barton Hills<\/a>, Cook<\/a>, Cunningham<\/a>, Gullet<\/a>, Odom<\/a>, Ortega<\/a>, Pillow<\/a>, Reilly<\/a>, Sanchez<\/a>, St. Elmo<\/a> and Williams elementaries<\/a> as well as Kealing Middle School<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do still have a number of schools where we have a joint interest, and I want to put protections in place that make sure that this isn’t just like a cash transaction, but we’re protecting access to those spaces,\u201d Alter said.<\/p>\n

The background<\/p>\n

Fuentes said she developed her resolution in response to campus closures by many Austin-area school districts, including the closure of Wid\u00e9n Elementary<\/a> in Southeast Austin. Wid\u00e9n is one of six campuses AISD has identified as surplus, meaning it could be leased or sold.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community was just heartbroken over the school closure,\u201d Fuentes said about Wid\u00e9n Elementary. \u201cIt really has had a deep impact on community morale, and I wanted to do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

AISD has been working to sell the former Rosedale School site<\/a> in Central Austin to OHT Partners<\/a>\u2014a multifamily housing company that has proposed developing a six-story, 435-unit apartment complex. The $26 million sale has been stalled by community pushback<\/a> against the project\u2019s scale and pending litigation related to the legally allowed use of the property.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the district approved the sale of the former Brooke Elementary<\/a> campus in Southeast Austin, which closed in 2020, to Trammell Crow Company<\/a> and High Street Residential<\/a>. The development is slated to serve as a multifamily apartment complex with market-rate and affordable units above ground-floor retail, an AISD spokesperson told Community Impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I don’t want to happen is that Wid\u00e9n Elementary gets privatized and sold to the highest bidder, and it becomes something that the community doesn’t want or doesn’t need,\u201d Fuentes said. \u201cThat’s why it’s important that we have a framework for these conversations and to be proactive on how that partnership might look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next steps<\/p>\n

The Austin city manager will ask stakeholders about their land development processes and establish a framework for potential partnerships and land acquisitions before June, Fuentes said. The city could then create a list of priority projects and partnerships to consider, she said.<\/p>\n

City staff will develop an ordinance outlining a process and policies for parkland condemnation. This ordinance will be presented to council by May or July, Alter said.<\/p>\n

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