In what played out like a how-to guide to getting Austin residents riled up, the Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday tackled a proposal to develop Hancock Golf Course for residential and commercial use. The wildly unpopular proposal to develop residential and commercial properties on the “oldest golf course west of the Mississippi” doesn’t appear to be gaining any traction at City Hall. But that didn’t stop people from flooding the Parks meeting. Board chair Jane Rivera explained that she had asked to discuss the idea after hearing talk about the plan. And after the briefest of assurances from Parks and Recreation Department Assistant Director Jesse Vargas that the department stood with the community and opposed the proposal, the board unanimously embraced a recommendation from board member hill Abel that City Council “not consider any additional development of Hancock Golf Course.” There were cheers all around (despite an oddly aggressive defense of the proposal from mediator Jim Huddleston of Crawford, Huddleston & Co., who explained his plan was misunderstood).
This article appears in August 30 • 2013.