The neighborhood once known as Timber Creek is now under lock and key, an area that a sign warns is "subject to flooding."
It's an area that won't forget 2013, when rescues were rampant after rain came down so fast that it overwhelmed neighborhoods. Several human and animal lives were lost.
Tim Speyrer with Travis County Parks remembered.
"Since it's such a significant flood risk, it puts a strain on the safety of the lives on the people living here," he said.
So the City of Austin and the County, with help from FEMA, bought out hundreds of homes near Onion Creek.
More than 850. More than 100 in the Timber Creek area, which will soon to be parkland.
That's part of a bigger picture.
A map of the Timber Creek parkland connects it to other Travis County parks, like Richard Moya and the Southeast Metropolitan Park.
And because this area is so prone to flooding, they are taking precautions.
"We've found our trails instead of having crushed granite trails, which washes out really easily, having a sidewalk or concrete sidewalk we're able to get the debris off of it and open up and have the trail accessible again," said Speyrer.
But for now, Timber Creek is off limits to the public.
Still in its design phase, construction is not set to begin until 2020. And if all goes well, the unnamed park will open to the public in 2021.
The City of Austin just completed its park project – 99 acres that were added to the Onion Creek Metropolitan Park. The ribbon cutting is expected soon.
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