By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
Baylor’s footprint east of La Salle Avenue is expanding, as the university acquired over 70 acres of land neighboring the Parker Bros. Intramural Fields and the Hurd Indoor Tennis Center in June.
While the land is directly adjacent to approximately 15 acres of club and intramural sports fields on University Parks Drive, it’s currently unclear how the land will be used.
“The university is exploring best use,” Baylor spokesperson Lori Fogleman said. “There are no definitive plans as of this time.”
Although no plans to upgrade or expand the intramural fields have been announced, Assistant Director of Competitive Sports Reid Jackson said that the current intramural space is constantly busy.
When asked if Baylor needs more space for intramural and club sports, Jackson said, “I would adamantly agree with that statement. Not only that, but an upgrade of the facilities and fields compared to their current state.”
Since last fall, the fields have accommodated over 5,000 intramural athletes across 20 sports, Jackson said. With that many participants, the fields are in use year-round from 5 to 11 p.m., six days a week. On top of intramural use, club sports teams often host tournaments at the fields on weekends.
But even with the need for better space and the proximity of the new land, it’s far from a guarantee that Baylor will choose to develop the space for intramurals. As Baylor Chief Financial Officer Curtis Reynolds said in a September Lariat article, the university often buys land to prevent getting “landlocked,” rather than with plans for a specific project.
The land is divided into three separate plots on the McLennan County Assessor. The combined land is about 72 acres with an appraisal of over $15 million. However, it could not be confirmed what Baylor paid for the property.
An application to the City of Waco shows there was a request to rezone the land in 2023. About 60 acres were submitted for office and high-density residential use, while the other roughly 10 acres were requested for commercial use. But the County Assessor still lists the entire property as zoned only for light industrial use, which includes offices and warehouses, if something were to be constructed.
Before the deed to the land was granted to Baylor on June 16, the property was owned by the Helen Marie Taylor Charitable Foundation. Taylor, who died in 2022, was a Waco-born judge and philanthropist. She opened the Helen Marie Taylor museum, which is a museum of Waco’s history and is currently under renovation.
