Austin's permit record puts a $140,000,000 value on a youth baseball complex whose builder budgeted $6,232,336 - five permits issued Monday for RBI Austin's 17-acre home on Loyola Lane

On Monday 13 October the City of Austin issued five building permits at 7401 Loyola Lane, in the 78724 ZIP, for the RBI Austin Youth Development Complex, its issued-permits data shows. All five are new commercial construction with the status Active.

The largest is a 28,208 square foot covered-field building the record describes as "New Construction of Sports Facility Covered Field Building - Prefab metal building. Outdoor Covered Field Structure." Beside it: a 7,100 square foot building for "Admin Building with Offices Flex Hall and Fitness", a 442 square foot utility building, a 250 square foot shade structure and a 140 square foot dumpster enclosure - permits 2026-134292 BP to 2026-134297 BP.

The figure on the record

Each of the five rows carries the same declared job value: $140,000,000. The city repeats a project's value on every permit at the same address, so that is one figure for the whole job, not five. It is also 22 times what the builder said the job would cost. RBI Austin, a Major League Baseball affiliate that runs baseball, softball and mentoring for inner-city Austin youth, said in November 2024 it had "raised $5,449,463 of its $6,232,336 project budget through private donors and grants", including a $1,300,000 challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation. Its site says it broke ground on the complex in 2026.

The permit detail pages on the city's permit portal answer every request from here with a security check, so the $140,000,000 could not be held against the permit itself. The figure stands as the city's data states it, unverified.

The site

The city's staff report to the Zoning and Platting Commission on 2 September 2025 (case SP-2022-0567C) describes the proposed development as "Baseball Park with associated improvements" on 17.14 acres in Council District 1, in the Walnut Creek watershed. RBI Austin says it acquired 33 acres off Loyola Lane in 2018.

The Environmental Commission voted 8 to 1 on 6 August 2025 to recommend the floodplain and grading variances the site needed, with conditions that include 1.55 acres of floodplain restoration, 4.13 acres of floodplain mitigation and a payment of $312,625.84 into the Riparian Zone Mitigation Fund. Staff put the proposed impervious cover at about 30% against a watershed limit of 80%.

The five permits, the case and the site's other rows are on the 78724 page.