Posting Language
Title
Approve Service Extension Request No. 5845 for wastewater service to a 2.85-acre tract located at 1107 Castle Ridge Road within the Drinking Water Protection Zone, the City’s two-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction and Austin Water’s service area.
De
Lead Department
Austin Water.
Fiscal Note
There is no anticipated fiscal impact.
For More Information:
Inquiries should be directed to Heather Cooke, Austin Water Chief Administrative Officer, 512-972-0083 or heather.cooke@austintexas.gov.
Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action:
September 4, 2024 - Not recommended by the Environmental Commission on a vote of 7-1 with Commissioner Nickels voting against the motion to deny the Service Extension Request and Commissioners Cofer and Schiera absent.
September 11, 2024 - Water and Wastewater Commission’s motion to recommend approval received 5 affirmative votes and 1 dissenting vote. The motion failed for lack of 6 vote affirmative majority on Commissioner Reyes’ motion to approve, Commissioner Penn's second and with Commissioner Moriarty voting no. Commissioners Turrieta, Musgrove and Sion were absent and there are two vacancies.
Additional Backup Information:
The 1107 Castle Ridge Road project consists of approximately 2.85 acres of land (Property). The Property is located entirely within the City’s two-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, the Impact Fee Boundary, Austin Water’s service area for wastewater, the Drinking Water Protection Zone, and the Barton Creek Watershed. A map of the Property is attached.
Applicant:
Parkside Homes, LLC (Owner) is proposing to develop three single-family homes on the Property. The Owner requested that the City provide wastewater utility service to the Property and Austin Water has determined the service requirements as proposed in Service Extension Request (SER) No. 5845. Travis County Water Control and Improvement District #10 will provide retail water service to the Property.
City Code § 25-9-35 requires City Council approval for this SER because the Property is located within the Drinking Water Protection Zone but is outside the City’s full-purpose corporate limits. All costs related to construction of the proposed wastewater improvements will be paid by the Owner.
Infrastructure Improvements:
To serve the Property, the Owner is required to construct approximately 760 feet of appropriately sized gravity wastewater main from the existing 8-inch gravity wastewater main located in Whitemarsh Valley Walk to the Property located to the north.
The proposed wastewater improvements are sized to serve the needs of the Property and conform to all City Code requirements. These improvements will be designed in accordance with City’s Environmental Criteria and Utilities Criteria Manuals and will be inspected by the City’s Development Services Department. The Owner will construct all required improvements at their cost and dedicate the facilities to the City for ownership, operation and maintenance. All City fees are applicable to the provision of wastewater service, including capital recovery fees.
City Staff Recommendation:
Austin Water has evaluated the Owner’s request for City wastewater service and can provide centralized wastewater service as proposed in SER-5845. The subject property is located within Austin Water’s wastewater service area and the City’s existing wastewater collection system is located approximately 180 feet from the subject tract. The SER improvements will conform to all City Code requirements, be designed in accordance with City’s Environmental Criteria Manual and Utilities Criteria Manual, and be inspected by the City’s Development Services Department.
Attached is a report from Austin Water staff outlining additional technical information related to providing service to this tract. Additionally, the attached Watershed Protection Department staff report addresses environmental concerns related to providing centralized wastewater service as proposed in SER-5845. WPD does not recommend approval of the wastewater SER #5845 for several reasons. The site contains steep topography with many areas of slopes greater than 15% and is therefore sensitive to impacts of development, and the original subdivision was approved prior to the adoption of the Save Our Springs Ordinance. Facilitating additional density and impervious cover in this neighborhood beyond what exists currently could lead to an overall increase in non-compliance with the SOS ordinance over time. Additionally, WPD supports development that complies with the City of Austin’s environmental regulations and currently there are no assurances that the site will continue to remain within the City of Austin’s ETJ in the future. If the site were to request removal from Austin’s ETJ, it would no longer be subject to Austin’s environmental regulations, including the SOS Ordinance.
If Council approves SER-5845 for wastewater service, any related development applications for the Property will be subject to current City Code, including the Save Our Springs Ordinance and the Watershed Protection Ordinance.
The proposed project is located in zip code 78746 and near City Council District 8.