The Texas city council agreed to purchase the property and make it a publicly owned course after entertaining questions of fairness regarding the property’s location in a wealthy neighborhood. Mayor Lee Leffingwell noted that the purchase was not just an acquisition of a golf course, but preservation of open space and the development of a park amenity.
The city of Austin, Texas agreed on March 20 to buy the Grey Rock Golf Club and make it a publicly owned course in a $9.8 million deal, the Austin-based Statesman reported.
The deal earned approval following questions about the fairness of buying a course sitting in a relatively wealthy Southwest Austin neighborhood. Residents also asked the council not to consider Grey Rock a replacement for the beloved Lions Municipal Golf Course, the Statesman reported.
C&RB reported yesterday that the council was considering the purchase, just as Lions Municipal nears the end of its lease (“Privately Owned Grey Rock GC Could Go Municipal“).
A 6-1 majority decided Grey Rock is an opportunity too good to pass up. They and city staffers cited a paucity of city parkland, revenue they expect to offset about half the cost of the course purchase. City officials were also swayed by the possibility that some of the course could be turned into a subdivision sitting over a system of limestone caves that feed the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer, the Statesman reported.
“This is not just acquisition of a golf course,” Mayor Lee Leffingwell said. “It’s acquisition of open space. It’s open space preservation and developing a park amenity.”
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