INTRODUCTION

The Browning Hangar is one of the last structures from Austin's original Mueller Airport, and today it is one of the city's most used informal public spaces. Neighbors, families, exercise groups, players, picnickers, and visitors gather under its roof every day, and none of them needs to buy anything to be there.The Hangar's future is now being decided. The agreement governing the Mueller redevelopment ends on December 31, 2027, and in August 2026 a proposal to remodel the Hangar for adaptive reuse was presented to the City's historic review committee. The City's Mueller advisory commission (PIAC) has already recommended, twice, that public access to the Hangar be protected, including permanently through Mueller's covenants. The documents below propose what that protection should mean in practice.

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

A public-access promise can be met on paper while real public use shrinks, through limited hours, frequent closures, event bookings, patios, barriers, or security instructions. This proposal aims to protect the Hangar's everyday public use as clearly as its legal right of access, while welcoming compatible businesses and events that help support and enliven the space.

WHAT THE PROPOSAL ASKS

1. A defined, mapped public area. Most of the covered Hangar floor stays genuinely usable public space, with meaningful public hours and no purchase, membership, or reservation required.
2. Management that serves the public. Businesses and events are welcome, but no tenant controls the common floor. Rules are reasonable, published, and applied equally to everyone.
3. Protections that last. Access protections bind future owners and operators, any weakening requires City Council approval after public notice, and there is a clear way to report problems.

THE DOCUMENTS

These are community-proposed drafts offered for consideration by the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Plan Implementation Advisory Commission (PIAC). They have not been adopted by PIAC or the City Council.

• Draft PIAC Recommendation: the proposed action for the commission (PDF) [LINK]
• Public Access Principles: the framework behind the recommendation (PDF) [LINK]
• Background Note: a one-page explanation of why now and what the draft does (PDF) [LINK]

HOW YOU CAN HELP

• Read the recommendation and share this page with friends, neighbors, and groups that use the Hangar.
• Speak at the meeting. The commission's next meeting is Tuesday, October 13, and includes an update on the Hangar. Anyone may speak for up to three minutes, in person or by phone. To speak remotely, register by noon the day before with Marrilee Archer, PIAC staff liaison (512-974-7842, marrilee.archer@austintexas.gov).
• Questions, or want to help? Email context@browninghangar.org.

If you live in District 9, send a short note in your own words to Council Member Qadri through the [Council contact form] Here's an example to adapt:

Subject: Public access at the Browning HangarDear Council Member Qadri,
I use the Browning Hangar [how you use it: to meet friends, exercise, bring my kids, get out of the sun]. I support keeping it free and open to everyone, with compatible businesses and events welcome alongside everyday public use. I encourage you to support the community-proposed public-access recommendation at https://browninghangar.org/public-access-proposal/, which builds on PIAC's 2024 recommendations.
Thank you,
[Your name, neighborhood]

A NOTE ON INTENT

This proposal is offered in a spirit of cooperation with the City, the Mueller developer, and the Mueller community. It does not take a position on who should own or operate the Hangar. It asks only that, whatever the arrangement, the Hangar remain public space.

CORE CONCEPT

"The Hangar remains public space into which limited compatible commercial and programmed uses may be introduced, not commercial space from which a small portion is set aside for the public."