It’s a 43 acre plot of land that’s seen the conversation turn from birdies and eagles to cows and horses.

Three decades ago, drivers traveling down Will Clayton Parkway near Lee Road were looking at a private golf course out their side window, but in the years that followed the flag sticks and golf carts slowly began to disappear and the land sat idle within the property boundaries of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Under the long term growth plan at IAH, the land is slated to be developed for hosting air cargo facilities, but until recently, the short term solution wasn’t nearly as clear.

“If you have a piece of land that size, it costs about ten-thousand dollars each year to maintain it,” says James Valenta, properties representative with the Houston Airport System (HAS). “So, the idea here was to test an idea that would simply offset those costs.”

The solution proved to be both surprising and innovative, and it officially made its way before members of the Houston City Council late last year.

The Houston Airport System had 43 acres of land complete with a pond that would provide a water supply. A nearby rancher had a small herd of pedigree cattle in need of a place for grazing.

The ordinance placed on the council agenda would marry those two interests.