There are other, better solutions…
Travis County owns over $50 million in parkland with more than 2,000 acres of publicly owned land in Southwestern and Western Travis County alone that could be developed into youth facilities in Western Travis County.
What is the Right Solution?
If WHLL must build a MegaSportsComplex, then they should find a more appropriate site, in an area where they are wanted.
WNA will not support a development of this scale located in any residential neighborhood, unless the neighborhood is in favor of the project.
No neighborhood should have to endure the issues that come with a facility of this size. The River Hills site is not an appropriate site from any perspective – it’s a hilly, environmentally sensitive site, with bad access, in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
The only reason it’s being proposed on the River Hills tract is because the lease price to EISD is almost trivial – less than $12/day per field. An appropriate site for this type of complex is one that has great access, located in a commercial area, on flat land with deep soil conducive to building ball fields.
Create Multiple Neighborhood Friendly Sites
What would most people want to see built if this project was in their neighborhood? Even though the Western Hills facility at Rollingwood Park is much smaller in scale, it has not been without controversy.
That site has 3 baseball fields, one swim center, tennis courts and basketball courts. It is located on relatively flat land with much better access than the River Hills site. It does not have any field lighting or amplified PA system.
