Nestled within Austin is a gem of Texas natural beauty, the Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park. Just a few miles from downtown, this 1,200-acre park is beloved in its community. Residents from surrounding communities flock to enjoy its prime boating, fishing, and swimming features. This immense lake was initially created to aid the nearby Austin Energy facility’s energy production. However, it has transformed into a hotspot for the Austin community to enjoy an endless stream of outdoor recreation. 

The Master Plan

As the surrounding metropolitan areas grew and developed over the years, locals have longed for the same development and attention to be placed on their favorite park. Luckily for them, an ambitious $800 million master plan was drawn up and unanimously approved by Austin’s Park and Recreation Board in 2019. This five-phase master plan will work to develop and innovate the 1,200-acre lake as well as the surrounding public land, accounting for nearly 3,700 acres. 

The master plan, often described as “several parks within a park,” focuses on four primary levels of use in its projected development. The natural areas, such as the protected prairies that run through the property, will remain practically untouched. The recreational areas, however, will be split into passive and active sections for gatherings and events that could be run by the Travis County Expo Center located on the land. This plan also includes numerous proposed components for the future of the land, including a cultural arts center, a boardwalk, hiking trails alongside equestrian areas, an amphitheater, a sculpture garden, rentable cabins, and so much more.

Community Benefits

While the timeline for this specific project will span decades, this plan is dedicated to transforming the land into a fantastic new attraction for residents and visitors. This future development for East Austin’s Walter E. Long Park will provide benefits throughout the Austin area, creating a space for residents to locally enjoy all kinds of recreational activities. Since the park is only 12 miles from bustling downtown, residents and visitors alike will have easy access to this beautiful attraction. This master plan is designed to be a comprehensive plan for the new and continued development of great Austin neighborhoods, boosting economic growth, providing stable jobs, improving connectivity throughout the city, and providing a high-quality public space for East Austin.

Feel free to contact me at tmcneil@kw.com for any questions about more developments in Austin and what this Walter E. Long Park master plan means for the city.

Great news for all the Austinites who always dread the summer heat: The Colony Park Aquatic Center project is well underway! Conceptualized out of a need for aquatic recreation in the Colony Park and Lakeside areas, the completion of this aquatic center will be a historic occasion. 

Set to be located in Northeast Austin at the 93-acre Colony Park District Park, the center will house a lap lane pool, tot pool, water slide, spray ground feature, training/party room, and office space for the aquatic center itself. New community developments also show that this project will participate in the City of Austin Arts in Public Places program in order to commission a unique art installation at the center upon completion.

An integral part of Colony Park’s master plan involves providing support and access to housing for the community alongside providing a new aquatic center. A new mixed-use development, fondly nicknamed “mini-Mueller,” will transform the Colony Park area. Residents can expect over 3,000 new homes and apartments and up to 960,000 square feet of commercial space, including offices, stores, and restaurants near Colony Loop Drive and Loyola Lane. On March 24, 2022, the Austin Council approved these efforts, making the Colony Park Sustainable Community a top priority moving forward.

The Colony Park Aquatic Center has been in development since early 2021, and progress is moving quickly. After numerous community meetings and surveys that provided a space for the public to voice their vision for this center, the project has reached its Design Phase while preparing to submit for permitting in 2022. It is expected to begin construction in early 2023.

With heavy involvement from the community, this exciting project received funding through the City of Austin 2018 G.O. Bond, which will help extensively with its expected $13.1 million budget. With construction set to be completed at the beginning of 2024, The Colony Park Aquatic Center will be a greatly anticipated space for all Austin local communities, particularly residents from Colony Park.

You can learn more about these projects here or contact me at tmcneil@kw.com to discuss other exciting developments in Austin that you can expect in the near future.