About Us

In the late 1990s, the City of Austin purchased 555 acres along 2.5 miles of Onion Creek to create Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, one of the city's largest parks. However, due to limited resources, the park remained mostly undeveloped for about 17 years. 

In 2013, Senate Bill 1872 was passed to address this and develop more usable parkland in east Austin. This established a special taxation district to fund recreational improvements and it’s maintenance for pedestrian ways, streetscape and open space within the District. The District provides stable funding to maintain and improve recreational spaces and trails. It has the authority to issue bonds for major projects and is governed by a board of at least seven voting members responsible for meeting the District’s goals. 

The Consent Agreement was signed in 2014 and updated in 2020, to further define the partnership between the City of Austin, the Onion Creek Metro Park District (OCMPD), and Goodnight Ranch LP.  This agreement covers the District Governance, financing and management agreements for 555-acre Onion Creek Metropolitan Park & the District between the three parties, which included the development of the City’s Master Park Plan.