Title
Consider and take action to authorize staff to proceed with the procurement of real property interests associated with the CIP ST 0904 Houston Avenue - FM 518 to SH 3 Improvements Project (Assistant City Manager, Public Works)
Staff recommends approval.
Background:
The City needs to obtain real property rights-of-entry agreements and easement interests for two properties affected by proposed Houston Avenue - FM 518 to SH 3 Project. On the north end of the project, Staff proposes to obtain a right-of-entry agreement and drainage easement along the east side of Houston Avenue and SH 3 to contain the proposed drainage outfall and ditch adjacent to SH 3. The other right-of-entry and easement interest is for sidewalk purposes crossing the League Colony Apartment site located on the east side of Houston Avenue, south of 3rd Street. The project location sketch, with the general locations of the two affected areas clouded in red, is attached.
With regards to the drainage easement, the City’s proposed improvements, including 5’ x 4’ culverts, 100 year-storm overflow outfall with slope paving, and expanded open ditch will encroach upon abutting private property along SH 3. The overall length of the encroachments is approximately 260 feet and is approximately 18 feet wide at its widest point. The attached sketch depicts same.
With regards to the sidewalk easement, the League Colony Apartments has existing front-end roadside parking along Houston Avenue. If we put the sidewalk in its normal location within the Houston Avenue right-of-way, the sidewalk would be blocked by residents that park in those spaces. There’s adequate room to put a sidewalk in front of the parking spaces, on the private property, thereby eliminating the “parked-car-blocking-the-sidewalk” complaint which would arise if we didn’t go around the parking spaces. Without an easement, the proposed improvements would create an encroachment onto private property approximately 160 feet in leng...
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