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Meeting Date:	07/11/2016
Las Pilas Road acquistion
Submitted for:	Rhonda Tiffin	Submitted By:	Rhonda Tiffin
Department:	Planning & Physical Development

Subject:

Discussion and possible action to accept an additional 30 feet wide strip of land approximately 9,845 feet (1.86 miles) in length along and adjacent to the southern and western boundaries of the existing 30 feet wide road dedication for Las Pilas Road to widen the existing right-of-way (ROW) to at least 60 feet wide as needed to meet minimum ROW standards in exchange for the release of the Las Haciendas Subdivision plat’s financial guarantee originally filed in 1993 and amended in 2002 for shared driveway entrances to tracts fronting U.S. Hwy 59; authorizing the County Attorney and county staff to prepare necessary documents to effectuate acquisition and the release of any financial obligation on the Las Haciendas Subdivision plat; authorizing the County Judge to execute resultant documents; and any other matters incident thereto.

Issue: Since the early to mid-1980’s, residents and property owners of the colonias located in the Las Pilas area have struggled with inadequate, private access roads. For several years Webb County has undertaken various strategies to acquire public ROW as necessary for the county to perform road improvements and maintenance. Unfortunately, the ROW acquisition proposal to acquire Las Pilas Road approved by the commissioners court on May 22, 2006 through donations of property from adjacent property owners could not be completed since the required property could not be “donated” from the School Lands property. As such, without funding to pay fair-market value for the School Land property, the entirety of ROW acquisition could not be accomplished and remains incomplete.

In the general vicinity, there has also been an on-going issue with the Las Haciendas Subdivision plat’s financial guarantee (currently in the amount of $61,625.00) for seven (7) shared driveway entrances to the various tracts along U.S. Hwy 59. In 1993 and amended in 2002, this subdivision’s plat originally submitted financial guarantees to provide for shared entrances from the state highway; however, for a variety of reasons, such entrances were either not utilized, were not needed, or the affected properties had not been sold. After more than twenty-years of annual renewals of the financial guarantee, it seems reasonable to conclude that the need for said entrances may not be critical and that consideration for the release of the financial guarantee could be considered. While seemingly unrelated to the Las Pilas Road acquisition, this subdivision is out of the same property and owned by the same entity, 4-R Minerals, Ltd., who donated the only portion of ROW acquired for the Las Pilas Road; consequently, it offers an opportunity for the county to prioritize and address more significant public access needs by releasing obligations for driveway entrances in the subdivision in exchange for additional ROW dedication along Las Pilas Road to widen the existing ROW to at least 60 feet as needed to meet minimum standards.

Solution/Result:Approve item as recommended to secure adequate ROW for the completion of the Las Pilas Road acquisition which provides the only means of access to the 8 colonias in the area comprised of approximately 599 separate lots/tracts and which represents a more significant public purpose than the construction of 7 scattered driveways entrances along U.S. Hwy. 59.

Background:

See agenda item "Issue".

Previous Court Action:

See agenda item "Issue"

Fiscal Impact

Budget Account Number:	N/A
Funding Source:	N/A
Balance:	N/A
Financial Impact:
If approved, future costs that may be associated with suveying and/or fence relocation to be addressed in a future court action by another department.

Attachments
Financial guarantee Las Haciendas
Exist ROW Las Pilas Rd