East Austin Changes

New plan could turn East Austin parkland into ritzy golf course — but some people are teed off

A new plan before the Austin City Council could turn part of an East Austin park into a golf course. Under the current proposal, approximately 735 acres of the Walter E. Long Park at 6614 Blue Bluff Rd. would be transformed from undeveloped parkland into a world-class, PGA-ready golf destination.

The proposal is being spearheaded by local Joe Ogilvie, a former PGA golfer, and Decker Lake Golf, LLC. According to city documents, if approved, the city would hand over responsibilities to Decker Lake to "finance, design, develop, construct, operate and manage two public golf courses [including] one short course at the park."

Though it would be privately owned, the city would snag a portion of the profits under the current draft of the agreement. For the first 15 years, this would include a monthly fee and an annual lump sum based on revenue. After that, the city's cut would be reduced to only the monthly fee.

According to a contract summary, designers would use a "park within a park" model for the 18-hole course and place special emphasis on an environmentally friendly design. Only city-generated, reclaimed water could be used for irrigation and certification from the The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses would be required. The proposal would be privately funded and cost between $18-$25 million.

In an interview with Community Impact, Kevin Gomillion, golf division manager for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, said the new course could mean that Austin could soon begin hosting PGA tournaments. This combined with tourist revenue and media exposure could elevate Austin to a premier golfing destination.

But this plan is not without its detractors. As KUT points out, that's a lot of east side land to delegate towards a sport that can be quite costly. Local political action committee ChangeAustin.org has been adamant in its opposition to the proposal, noting golf's declining numbers and calling it "a parkland heist." The group recently ran a full-page ad in the Austin Chronicle detailing its argument.

The City of Austin will be hosting a public forum on Monday, November 17 at the Morris Williams Golf Course from 4:30-7:30 pm to take questions and educate Austinites about the proposed course. The City Council is set to vote on Thursday, November 20.

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Final Chapter

Bookstore closing final chapter 2 years after move from South Congress

southcongressbooks.com

The store survived the move for a while, but it wasn't sustainable.

While they say all good stories must come to an end, Austinites never want that to be true of independent local businesses—especially this time of year. After relocating to Kerbey Lane in 2022, South Congress Books announced it would be closing its doors for good in the coming weeks.

The store announced the closure in an Instagram post on Friday, December 6:

“On the heels of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, we bring you We Surrender December,” the post reads. “After two years of valiantly trying to survive (if not thrive) in our new location, we’ve made the hard decision not to renew our lease.”

The post goes on to thank customers for their business over the years, but shares that keeping the shop open beyond the current year is not “sustainable or prudent.”

The store first opened its doors on South Congress thirteen years ago, back before that particular avenue became home to international brands like Nike and Hermes. Over the years, rising rent on the once-quirky street has squeezed out unique local businesses like Lucy in Disguise in favor of chain stores.

As such, it was no major surprise when, in 2022, the small bookstore announced it was moving north of downtown. Loyal customers hoped that neighbors like the original Kerbey Lane Cafe would bring in a steady stream of foot traffic, but that has apparently not been the case.

Commenters on the farewell post all grieved the news, sharing that the shop would be missed.

In a small bit of silver lining, the shop did announce that it will maintain a presence on Abebooks.com (as Tornbooks) and Ebay (as South Congress Books). Austinites can also browse a special selection of the shop; books at Uncommon Objects (1602 Fortview Road) in South Austin and Antiques of Oakmont (1803-A W. 35th Street), just around the corner from the current location.

In the meantime, the Kerbey Lane store is offering a ten percent discount through December 24 and then 20 percent off between December 26 and January 5, 2025.

books closings