Reserved for public purposes
Congress of the Republic required 400 acres in the Government Tract to be reserved.
The land beneath the plan
Public Austin waterfront since 1840.
Now being sold to a New York developer.
Sand Beach Reserve — public land on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, set aside by the Republic of Texas in 1840 for public purposes. Mostly parkland, it's now threatened by plans for three luxury condo towers where the TownLake Y sits. Here is the interesting history, the plan from the YMCA and developer Millennium Partners, and what you can do about it.
Jump to: Why this matters · Why this is active now
Why this matters
Public land should stay in public hands.
Public land should not become private development because a disputed boundary goes unchallenged. We believe Austin should resolve the public’s land claim before approving redevelopment.
THE PUBLIC INTEREST
Protect the waterfront.
Land set aside for public purposes deserves protection. At the TownLake YMCA, beside Lady Bird Lake, Riddell’s research identifies land he argues still belongs to the public.
OUR CASE
About 1.9 acres are at stake.
Joe Riddell’s analysis places about 1.9 acres of the YMCA’s 4.80-acre parcel within Sand Beach Reserve. He argues that this land returned to the State in 1963. This is an attributed argument, not a court ruling.
See the map and supporting records →OUR REQUEST
Resolve the claim before approval.
Help insist that the boundary and public-purpose restrictions are addressed before redevelopment is approved. Sign up for opportunities to speak up, and share the evidence.
Get action alerts →The case for public ownership
Our case: part of the YMCA tract belongs to the public.
- The original boundary was tied to the bluff.The 1848 patent described Outlot 11's south line as 60 yards below the bluff of the “River Commons.”
- A later surveyor rejected Metcalfe’s line.William O'Hara's 1999 report concluded that O. E. Metcalfe's 1916 north line for the Reserve was “in the wrong position.”
- The State’s grant protected the public interest.The State's 1945 grant said any part of the Reserve later sold by Austin would revert to the State. Austin conveyed the tract to the Boy Scouts in a 1963 land exchange. Riddell argues that the reversion clause applies to that conveyance.
Attributed analysis
Researcher and attorney Joe Riddell argues that these facts place approximately 1.9 acres claimed by the YMCA inside the Reserve, triggering the reversion clause. His grid count puts the conflict area at about 40% of the 4.80-acre subdivision — a little under 2 acres; it is a manual map-based estimate, not a boundary survey. The ownership conclusion is contested and is not presented here as a court ruling. The 1963 exchange and whether it triggers the grant’s sale provision are part of the argument that must be resolved.
We believe the City should resolve this claim before approving redevelopment.
Follow the evidence → · Help defend the public interest →
Start with the record
Go deeper into the record.
This site separates original records, attributed analysis, and present-day advocacy. Begin with the map, follow the chronology, or inspect the source documents yourself.
01
Understand the map
See how the 1848 patent, the historic bluff line, and three surveyed boundaries overlap.
02Follow the history
Trace the Reserve from the Republic of Texas through the 2026 formal development filing.
03Read the sources
Open the deed, map, history, and source material already available in the archive.
A compressed chronology
The long view changes the view.
The present conflict begins with the founding of Austin, not with the current development proposal. Four events orient the documentary trail.
A disputed survey
Metcalfe fixed the Reserve's north line theoretically, and later private claims relied upon it.
The City conveys the tract
Austin conveyed about five acres west of Lamar to the Boy Scouts.
Six lines analyzed
Surveyor William O'Hara recommended two boundary locations and rejected Metcalfe's line.
Why this is active now
Resolve the public’s land claim before approving redevelopment.
The formal Planned Unit Development application filed July 24, 2026 for 1100 W. Cesar Chavez describes three residential towers with up to 750 market-rate condominiums, at least 90 affordable rental units, and a replacement YMCA with childcare. It requests a maximum PUD height of 435 feet and up to 93% impervious cover.
The proposal includes housing, a replacement YMCA, and childcare. Those benefits deserve a fair account. They do not settle the disputed boundary or the public-purpose restrictions. Our position is that the public’s land claim must be addressed before approval. The formal application and the earlier Development Assessment are both available in the archive, together with a guide to the City staff comments issued on September 1, 2026.
Proposal status · October 31, 2026: The figures above describe the July filing. An October 22 revised drawing is now in the archive; the complete October update has not yet been obtained. View the archive →
What you can do
Help defend Austin’s public waterfront.
A short email when there is a hearing, a comment deadline, a vote, or a major filing. No spam. Your email is not sold or shared.
The fate of the PUD rezoning will be decided at public hearings by the City of Austin. Texas law gives the Land Commissioner and the Attorney General standing to go to court to enforce the public-purpose restriction the State placed on Reserve land in 1945 (Natural Resources Code §31.068). Leave your email and we'll tell you when there's a moment to speak up.
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