DEPARTMENT: Planning and Community Development
DEPARTMENT HEAD: John Dugan, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
Preparation of an Annexation Service Plan for a SAWS Property
SUMMARY:
An Ordinance authorizing the initiation of the voluntary annexation of a SAWS property, consisting of approximately 9.19 acres, located at 3610 Valley Road, contiguous to the City limits, and generally located northwest of the IH 37 and Loop 1604 intersection, within the San Antonio ETJ and Bexar County.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
SAWS Voluntary Annexation Petition - SAWS requested annexation by the City of San Antonio of two tracts totaling approximately 9.19 acres of land within San Antonio's ETJ, contiguous to the existing City limits. Presently, the subject property is the site of an existing SAWS environmental laboratory, located at 3610 Valley Road, which is generally located northwest to the IH 37 and Loop 1604 intersection in south Bexar County. The purpose of the SAWS petition for annexation is to bring the subject property into the City of San Antonio limits, and provide an equivalent level of City services for the SAWS property.
Municipal Services - Currently, Bexar County provides services to the subject property. Bexar County service providers include:
- SAWS
- CPS Energy
- Bexar County Sheriff's Office
- Emergency Service District (ESD) 6, and the Ata-Bexar Volunteer Fire Department, and
- Acadian Ambulance Services, Bexar County's 911 emergency medical services (EMS) contractor
Once the subject property is annexed into San Antonio, the SAWS environmental laboratory would benefit from full City services, including public safety services including fire fighting, hazardous material response (hazmat), and EMS.
Surrounding Jurisdictions: Presently, SAWS owns all of the properties surrounding the subject property. Located to the north of the subject property is the SAWS Dos Rios Water Recycling Center, which has been within San Antonio limits since 1987. SAWS leased the land which bounds the subject property on the other three sides to SunE CPS2, L.L.C, also known as Sun Edison, for a solar farm complex. In September 2011, the City of San Antonio established the Sun Edison Industrial District, and entered into a 15-year non-annexation agreement with SAWS and Sun Edison which will expire on December 31, 2026.
Future Land Use - The subject property falls within the Heritage South Sector Plan, adopted in 2010. The sector plan designates the subject property as Agribusiness/RIMSE (Research, Industrial, Manufacturing, Sport and Entertainment) Tier land use, which recommends a variety of uses and intensities including, neighborhood commercial, agriculture, and light industrial uses. The existing land use is consistent with the adopted future land use plan.
SAWS Board of Directors approved this request for annexation during their February 10, 2014 meeting.
ISSUE:
This resolution will authorize the Department of Planning and Community Development to prepare the service plan as required by State law. The Texas Local Government Code, Section 43.065(a) states that prior to the publication of the notice of the first required public hearing, the City Council must direct its planning department to prepare a service plan.
Generally, the intent of an Annexation Service Plan is to provide specific information about the municipal services after the subject property has been annexed for full purposes. In this instance, the service plan will identify all of the public safety services including fire fighting, hazmat, and emergency medical services that will be available to the SAWS environmental laboratory. In addition, the proposed annexation area will expand San Antonio's municipal boundaries. The Annexation Service Plan will address the public safety services to be implemented, and their associated costs.
SAWS, as a quasi-City entity, is exempt by law from state and local taxes and hence will not generate local property tax revenue in the future. Furthermore, the City's voluntary annexation fee of $3,000.00 also will be waived.
Below is a proposed schedule for the voluntary annexation of the SAWS property.
Jun. 2014 - City Council's Direction to Prepare an Annexation Service Plan
Aug./Sep. 2014 - Written notice on the Service Plan (30 days before the public hearings)
- Publication of the Public Hearing Notice (11 to 20 days before each public hearing)
- Planning Commission Hearing and Consideration
Sep./Oct. 2014 - Infrastructure and Growth Committee Briefing
- First City Council Public Hearing (40 days before the Council Action)
- Second City Council Public Hearing (21 days before the Council Action)
- Publish the Annexation Ordinance (30 days before the approval of the ordinance)
Nov. 2014 - City Council's Consideration (and reading) and Action on the Annexation Ordinance
Nov./Dec. 2014 - Date that the Annexation Ordinance is Effective (must be completed within 90 days after City Council's initiation of annexation - approval of the Annexation Ordinance).
ALTERNATIVES:
A denial of the resolution would result in the subject property remaining within the unincorporated land, currently served by Bexar County service providers. An alternative would be an inter-local agreement for fire protection services and EMS with the City of San Antonio, which would not include other needed city services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action, directing the Department of Planning and Community Development to prepare an Annexation Service Plan for the SAWS property. The Annexation Service Plan will include a fiscal analysis of public safety services.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the Resolution directing Department of Planning and Community Development to prepare a Service Plan regarding the annexation, as requested by the SAWS, of approximately 9.19 acres, located at 3610 Valley Road, contiguous to the City limits, and generally located northwest of the IH 37 and Loop 1604 intersection, within the San Antonio ETJ and Bexar County.