The Lost Creek Greenbelt Stairs Became a $350,000 Winter Project

If you've walked down Whitemarsh Valley Walk since late September and found the trail entrance near Ben Crenshaw fenced off, you've already seen the first phase of the largest capital project the Lost Creek Limited District has budgeted this year. Phase one is underway. Four more entrances follow. The full rebuild will take most of the cool-weather walking season.

On September 21, 2026, the District announced that it will demolish and rebuild all five stairway access points to the interior Lost Creek Greenbelt. According to the announcement, the board committed several years ago to fixing access and safety concerns with the original limestone staircases. It took a years-long planning process before the project could be funded. The new trailheads will have stone steps with handrails. They will also be planted extensively with native plants, which add beauty and help control erosion.

Which entrance closes, and roughly when

The District split the five entrances into three work sites and gave each one a maximum duration. Counting from the September 21 start date, the dates fall like this:

The right-hand column is the latest each phase should finish, not a promised completion date. The District says it will try to keep closures as short and limited as it can, but some will be needed for safety. It plans to send updates as necessary. As of October 6, there has been no progress report since that first notice. The September 15 board meeting, the most recent one with posted minutes, recorded no new information on the project.

The Indian Canyon trailhead is last in line, and it does double duty. The District held its spring Wildfire Community Preparedness Day and Chipper Weekend there on May 2 and 3. Residents brought brush and limbs to the greenbelt trailhead on Whitemarsh Valley Walk to be chipped. The new budget includes another Chipper Day line in November 2026. No date or location has been announced yet, so it's an open question whether a fall chipper event would share that trailhead with the construction.

How a $150,000 estimate became a $350,000 budget line

The stairs have been on the District's books for years. A reserve schedule in the July 21, 2026 board packet listed "Greenbelt Staircases" with a six-year expected life and a $150,000 replacement cost. The District had been setting aside $25,000 a year toward it and had built up $125,000.

The bids changed the picture. The bid opening was pushed back to early July 2026. At the July 21 meeting, after what the minutes call extensive discussion, the board voted 4-0 to award the contract to Maas Verde "for all Greenbelt entry areas and all alternate bid items." Maas Verde is an Austin-based, full-service landscaping company. It describes its specialty as ecological landscape restoration and sustainable outdoor design. The District's landscape architect is Cassel Landscape Architects, which billed for bidding and contractor coordination. The board also directed the general manager to work with the landscape architect on the formal Notice of Award.

The board approved the fiscal year 2026–27 budget on September 15, 2026. It sets aside $87,500 a month for "Greenbelt Stairs" in October, November, and December 2026 and January 2027. That totals $350,000 from the repair-and-replacement reserve. This is a budgeted amount. The executed contract price has not appeared in any posted District document.

The scale helps explain why the board planned for years. The District projects $554,819 in total income for the 2026–27 fiscal year, almost all of it from property taxes. The stair allocation is about 63 percent of that figure. Other capital items this year are much smaller, such as $25,000 for security camera upgrades and $18,500 for playground mulch. The reserve fund is projected to fall from $520,501 at the start of the year to about $127,000 once the stair payments are made.

The project did not require a tax-rate election. At its July 27 budget workshop, the board agreed that it could meet its fiscal year 2027 needs at or below 0.035538 per $100 of value. That is the highest rate allowed without a rollback election. The board estimated the increase over fiscal year 2026 at about $13 per household per year. The same discussion covered a revised reserve spreadsheet that accounted for the planned stair replacement.

The money comes from the Limited District because maintaining parks and greenbelts is one of its core jobs. The District took effect on December 15, 2015, under a strategic partnership agreement between the former Lost Creek Municipal Utility District and the City of Austin.

Where to walk while the entrances rotate closed

The District maintains two neighborhood parks: Lost Creek Boulevard Park, near the District office, and Boulder Trail Park on Whitemarsh Valley Walk. It also maintains a greenbelt that winds for nearly a quarter mile and recreational areas along Barton Creek. Here's how your options look this fall:

• Boulder Trail Park, Whitemarsh Valley Walk. Residents can reserve its gazebo, and the District hasn't posted any closure notice for this park. The Lost Creek Moms Club has applied to hold a "Movie Under the Stars" there on November 20, 2026. That was an application on the September agenda, and approval hasn't been confirmed.
• Lost Creek Boulevard Park, Lost Creek Boulevard at Quaker Ridge Drive. The District posted on October 6, 2026 that the park is closed for maintenance. The notice gave no reason or reopening date. This is the same park that hosted NatureWise Lost Creek on April 18.
• Barton Creek Greenbelt, Loop 360 trailhead. The city lists the trailhead at 3753 S Capital of Texas Hwy NB, with dedicated parking and composting restrooms. The city's Barton Creek Greenbelt page describes a rugged natural trail system with more than 12 miles to explore. Austin Parks and Recreation said the Greenbelt would stay open through September and October 2026, even with ACL-related closures around Zilker. The city warns that water levels in Barton Creek depend on rainfall, can change quickly, and are not monitored by the city.

The phasing works in walkers' favor. Each site closes on its own schedule, so whichever entrances aren't under construction should be the way in. Check the District's notices before heading out, since the order and timing of closures may change as work progresses.

Following the project from here

The next board meeting is Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at 1305 Quaker Ridge Drive. As of October 6, the District's packet archive ended with the September 15 materials. The October packet will be the first place a progress report, change order, or contract figure could appear. Agendas, minutes, and newsletters are posted at lostcreekld.org. For questions about the work, the District lists General Manager Jim Emmons at 512-327-6243.

If the maximum schedule holds, all five entrances should have new stone steps, handrails, and native plantings by about February 18, 2027. That is the 150th day after the September 21 start.

If you're a Lost Creek homeowner trying to understand how District projects like this show up in your tax bill, or how improvements to shared spaces figure into a home's value, Lillian Singh is happy to go through the details with you. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.