Austin Municipal Airport

This former site of the Austin Municipal Airport is now known as the Mueller Development—an ambitious, intentionally-designed neighborhood that will accommodate 10,000 residents when reaches capacity

The centerpiece of this development is new, beautifully designed Mueller Lake Park—built near the site of the old airport hangers. It has ample parking, plenty of jogging/biking trails, an impressive 50-ft fountain, an amphitheater, a man-made lake, resident ducks, a dynamic playscape for kids (which looks really fun to play on), and an amazing view of downtown Austin. Lots of people come here to walk their dogs or to get some peace and quiet. It never seems too crowded here—especially if you compare it to the craziness of Zilker Park. On the other hand, it does see enough traffic to support a few food trailers. You don’t even have to pack your own picnic! The only downside of this young park is that the newly-planted trees are skimpy and there isn’t as much shade as you’d hope.

Mueller Lake Park is the largest of eight little parks which are strung around the neighborhood in an S-shape and connected by a bike trail. The smaller parks tend to serve the residents who live in the nearest housing development, while Lake Park draws Eastside residents from farther afield.

It's really promising, what they're doing at the site of the old airport, now a burgeoning neighborhood that aims to be diverse, self-contained, and ecologically sound. Mueller has plenty going for it already, with over 140 acres of green space, including hike and bike trails, playgrounds, and even an open-air amphitheatre at Lake Park. Retailers are gradually moving in, and a wide range of housing has already been developed, the goal being to create a neighborhood accessible to people from a broad economic spectrum.

The Town Center and the Market District are still in the planning stages now, but when completed, they will form the heart of the community, offering shopping, nightlife, dining, and more right in the neighborhood. I envision the completed Mueller neighborhood as a small town within a big city. Austin is still just outside the walls, but everything you could possibly need on a day-to-day basis will be just outside your door, and this very thing seems to be one of the driving goals of the developers tasked with Mueller’s growth.

For entrepreneurs and artists, one of the most exciting projects underway at Mueller is the development of “shop houses,” homes intended to be used for both living space and work space. All told, though it may still be a little barren at the moment, Mueller has pretty huge potential, and could very well be the place to be within the next few years. For right now, it is probably a solid choice for professionals who are looking for quiet, quality housing.