The much-anticipated, somewhat troubled NLand Surf Park—a 130-acre facility under construction on Highway 71 at Navarro Road, in Del Valle—has hit another delay. According to a Sunday story in the Austin American-Statesman, the Travis County Commissioners Court has authorized lawyers to sue the operators of the park over its proposed 13-acre lagoon.
The issue originally surfaced during NLand’s permitting process with the county last spring. County commissioners saw the lagoon as a swimming pool, and thus a body of water in need of proper permits for same. NLand representatives argued that the rainwater-fed, 13-acre lagoon more closely resembles a lake.
NLand attorney Richard Suttle has continued to argue that, while the park intends to chlorinate the water and perform other activities to ensure its safety, the lagoon is too large to comply with all the procedures required by a swimming-pool permit, the Statesman reported. Suttle, who also pointed out to officials that there are two other wakeboard parks in Travis County without permits, said he was “blindsided” by the potential legal action, according to the Statesman.
While NLand recently issued a statement that, due to delays caused by recent heavy rains, it would be opening in “early summer” (its original projected dates was spring 2016), Suttle told the Statesman it was months rather than weeks away from opening.
In addition to the lagoon/wave pool, the park is expected to feature lodging, food, retail, and a surf school.
• Massive surf park east of Austin hits legal snags over pool permit [AAS]