Zilker Park Vision Plan not to be presented to city council

Zilker Park plan not presented to council

The controversial Zilker Park Vision Plan will not be presented to Austin City Council. Council was set to consider this plan at the end of this month, but the mayor has announced that is no longer happening.

AUSTIN, Texas - The controversial Zilker Park Vision Plan will not be presented to council as scheduled.

The mayor and council were set to consider this plan at the end of this month, but the mayor has announced that is no longer the plan after the Interim City Manager put a halt to it.

After major backlash on the potential approval of the Zilker Park Vision Plan and the release of a 17-minute documentary against it called Zilker Inc., the mayor released a statement revealing the plan had been shelved by the interim city manager:

"The Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan will not be on the August 31st City Council agenda, and there is no plan to bring it before the Austin Mayor and Council in the future. I’ve written previously and spoken publicly multiple times about my concerns with the Zilker Park Vision Plan. As the plan is shelved, we should recognize that really good people can often disagree. A lot of people and groups worked hard to do something big and positive for our community. And our city staffers have put a lot into this process, as well. I truly appreciate and respect their efforts."

Should city revamp Zilker Park?

In this week's FOX 7 Focus, FOX 7's John Krinjak goes one-on-one with Mike Cannatti with the Barton Springs Conservancy, a group that supports the controversial Zilker Park Vision Plan. They argue the plan is necessary in order for the park to thrive in the future.

Bill Bunch worked on the Zilker Inc. documentary as co-producer. He says it is a film with the goal of documenting the city’s process with the vision plan. A plan that would have included new components to the park like an amphitheater, a pedestrian bridge, and three new parking garages.

The documentary has received over 7000 views, so far.

"I really think that woke a lot of people up to how the whole process was rather dishonest and that the folks who wanted to make money off of operations in Zilker Park had an inside line in influencing the content of the plan," said Bunch.

The mayor revealed he hopes to pick up the discussion at a later date.

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Council member Ryan Alter agreed this was not the appropriate time to move forward with this plan.

"It seems like being able to put this plan to the side and kind of take a moment to just breathe for a little bit and then hopefully revisit some of those common goals that we have in a different method than the vision plan, I think, will prove to be beneficial," he said.

Alter added Zilker is a key part of Austin that does need improvements for the future, but it has to be done right.

"We all love Zilker Park. It's a great natural space for everybody and I think another common goal that we all have is preserving it as a great, wonderful outdoor natural space," he said.