Camp Mabry as a park? Author Lawrence Wright proposes new use for military base

Renowned author and journalist Lawrence Wright has unveiled a vision to turn the Camp Mabry military base in Austin into an urban state park with natural attractions and some development to complement the city’s other major parks spaces.

Wright, an Austin resident who has won a Pulitzer Prize in addition to many other national awards, gave a keynote address earlier this month at AIA Austin’s Design Excellence Conference, where he shared the possibilities for the base, which spans 385 acres and is currently used by the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard and Texas State Guard. Ever since former Texas Gov. George Bush proposed arranging a sale of the state-controlled land in the mid-1990s, Wright said he’s brainstormed and discussed how to go about making Mabry a state park that would be larger than Zilker Metropolitan Park.

“There will never be another chance to rescue such a beautiful piece of land so central to our city. … Now is the time to do it,” he said, noting that he’s received help from Lake Flato architects on initial design concepts and had a variety of conversations with federal and state officials about the proposal. “What we need is a group of people who are interested in developing this as a park, exploring ways in which the finances would work and overcoming the political obstacles like the sometimes outright hatred that the state has for the city of Austin.”

Originally inhabited by a variety of Native American tribes, the land that now makes up Camp Mabry was turned into a cotton plantation that fell into disuse after the Civil War. Pieces of the land were later given to the state to create a military training ground, with the federal government contributing another 200 acres prior to the creation of the Missouri Pacific (MoPac) railroad line.

While the state currently has control of the site, a clause in the deed for the final 200 acres gives it back to the federal government if it is used for anything other than military purposes.

Wright’s presentation ventured into some ideas for how to fund the site’s maintenance and operation as a state park. They include creating a forest buffer along the length of the property that borders the MoPac Expressway, with a milelong mixed-use “linear village” development just behind the new tree cover.

Wright proposes preserving the existing Texas Military Forces Museum and consolidating the existing “hut” structures currently positioned closest to the expressway with the new development, providing revenue that would turn the remainder of the largely wooded land into an urban park destination for visitors.

“Imagine this line of buildings that looked out on one side with unparalleled views of the city of Austin and on the other with beautiful views of nature,” he said. “How precious would that be? How profitable would it be if you could use that revenue to maintain the park?”

Wright acknowledged there would be some challenges, including rolling back a historical designation that was given to roughly half of the site shortly after Bush proposed selling the land. He said representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have been mostly uninterested in the idea in recent years, even though federal officials have seemed willing to move forward with turning a site that arguably has little military value into a major park.

“This is such a prize that comes at no actual price. … All it requires is for the feds to sign off on the reversion clause, then the state can then take a look and say yeah this would work,” he said. “It’s incredibly simple, it’s free. … There’s money involved in trying to take it from Camp Mabry to a bustling, exciting, interactive urban park but that’s all you have to do and you don’t have to buy it.”

Wright declined further comment on the presentation when contacted by the Austin Monitor.

Cory Chandler, deputy communications director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, responded via email: “Texas State Parks remain open to any proposals brought by willing donors or sellers that increase access to outdoor recreation for public enjoyment. Our staff also actively seek out opportunities to evaluate, acquire and develop properties from willing sellers. Land purchases are complex transactions and properties must undergo rigorous evaluation to ensure they can properly support access to the outdoors while maintaining responsible stewardship of the state’s natural, cultural and financial resources.

“Thanks to the recent support of the Legislature and Texas voters, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has entered an exciting new era, with substantial expansion of state parkland on the way in coming decades. We take seriously our mission and are actively considering any and all opportunities that present themselves.”

Photo by Leonardocognoscenti – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link.

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