DEPARTMENT: Planning
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Bridgett White, AICP
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
A Municipal Boundary Adjustment with the City of Terrell Hills
SUMMARY:
Public hearing and consideration of a resolution recommending the approval of a municipal boundary agreement with the City of Terrell Hills to transfer 2.520 acres of land from the city limits of Terrell Hills to San Antonio. The subject property is located south of Austin Highway and east of North New Braunfels Avenue in Bexar County.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On March 12, 2018, the City Council of the City of Terrell Hills approved a resolution to request a municipal boundary agreement with the City of San Antonio for the release of total of 2.520 acres, consisting of the 0.657 acre McNay Art Museum-owned parcel and a segment of Austin Highway, with adjoining right-of- way (ROW). The Terrell Hills resolution is attached as Exhibit A. The proposed agreement is attached as Exhibit B and the subject area is described in Exhibits C and D.
The cities of San Antonio and Terrell Hills share a common municipal boundary along Austin Highway to the east of North New Braunfels Avenue. The McNay Art Museum is situated within municipal boundaries of San Antonio, at the intersection of Austin Highway and North New Braunfels Avenue. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has agreed to add a right-turn lane and other traffic safety and aesthetic improvements at the intersection of Austin Highway and North New Braunfels Avenue. In 2015, the City of San Antonio agreed to close Old Rittman Road at no cost upon completion of the TxDOT’s improvements at this intersection. The McNay Art Museum agreed to pay for associated engineering services and donate small amounts of their property to the City of San Antonio. Previously, the McNay purchased a 0.657 acre parcel across from their campus to incorporate into their outdoor exhibit area. The alignment of the right-lane turn goes through the 0.657 acre parcel that falls within the boundaries of Terrell Hills.
TxDOT requires that only public land is used in their construction projects. For this reason, the McNay has agreed to convey ownership of 0.45 acres of the 0.657 acre parcel to the City of San Antonio. The McNay desires to retain landscaping and maintenance responsibilities of the right-turn channelization island. Furthermore, the McNay supports the boundary adjustment to bring all of the McNay properties into the city limits of San Antonio.
State law authorizes adjacent municipalities to make mutually agreeable changes in municipal boundaries as long as the areas are less than 1,000 feet in width [Sec.43.015 of the Texas Local Government Code]. The dimensions of the subject area consisting of approximately 500 feet wide and 790 feet long meet the legal width requirements for a municipal boundary adjustment.
ISSUE:
This is a public hearing and consideration of a resolution recommending approval of a municipal boundary adjustment with the City of Terrell Hills releasing 2.520 acres from its corporate limits to the City of San Antonio. The subject property is located south of Austin Highway and east of North New Braunfels Avenue.
The Annexation Policy recommends logical boundaries in order to prevent confusion between jurisdictions and provide efficient service delivery. The subject area is contiguous to the city limits of San Antonio. By San Antonio accepting the subject area, TxDOT now can apply its funding mechanism to the proposed traffic safety improvement and aesthetic enhancement along the Austin Highway corridor. The subject area would be located in City Council District 10.
The proposed improvement for Austin Highway is consistent with City of San Antonio’s Major Thoroughfare Plan which has designated it as a Secondary Arterial Type B with 70 feet to 86 feet of right-of-way. Generally secondary arterials are four lane roadways divided by medians and with right and left turn lanes.
The City of Terrell Hill currently provides public safety services on this segment of Austin Highway. CoSA Departments and service providers including the Fire Department, Police Department, Transportation and Capital Improvements, Development Services Department, San Antonio Water Systems, Solid Waste Management, and Animal Care Services were canvassed regarding the provision of future service by San Antonio. The public safety providers for the City of San Antonio already respond within the subject area. TCI plans to coordinate an interlocal maintenance agreement with TxDOT. Upon the transfer of the subject property, San Antonio would provide public safety services, road maintenance and traffic controls along this segment of Austin Highway.
In addition to state requirements for municipal boundary adjustments, the City Charter of San Antonio requires consideration by the Planning Commission and the publication of the ordinance 30 days prior to the final adoption. The ordinance was published in the San Antonio Express Newspaper on March 18, 2018. This item will be considered by Planning Commission on March 28. The Zoning Commission will consider zoning for the subject property on April 3. City Council will consider this item and the related zoning on April 19, 2018.
ALTERNATIVES:
The denial of the resolution would result in the subject property remaining within the city limits of Terrell Hills.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of a municipal boundary adjustment with the City of Terrell Hills for the release of 2.520 acres from the city limits of Terrell Hills to San Antonio.