At its meeting Tuesday, the Waco City Council is set to vote on several proposals regarding Riverway development, including approving up to $130 million from Tax Increment Financing Zone 4 and the creation of an overlay district to establish construction standards for homebuilders in the development.
Also on the agenda is a debate and vote on the long-awaited update to the city's drought contingency plan and a new 100-year water resources plan, first presented to the council in March. The drought contingency plan update, which is required every five years, proposes implementing a three-day-a-week irrigation schedule regardless of the level of drought. The long-term plan proposes looking at other potential water sources to avoid over-reliance on Waco Lake, which is currently Waco's only water source.
Additional items include a $20 million Environmental Protection Agency grant request, a reallocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds to be used in the conversion of the former Bledsoe-Miller Community Center into a science and arts center and the purchase of software to be used by police to analyze vehicle data.
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The council meeting will begin at 3 pm in the Bosque Theater at the Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave.
river road
There are three items on the agenda Tuesday regarding the Riverway development, a proposed 1,887-home master-planned community to be built along the Brazos River on a 521-acre site next to Martin Luther King Jr. . Boulevard and Lake Shore Drive.
The first item is a public hearing to consider an ordinance approving the creation of a Riverway Overlay District. Waco City Manager Bradley Ford said the overlay district would create a standard for housing design in the development.
WATCH NOW: Presentation, discussion of 521-acre Riverway site along Brazos with plans for 1,887 homes at Waco City Council meeting April 2, 2024
Ford said that because Riverway's developer, Caldwell Companies, will not build the housing units itself and will sell lots to builders, the overlay district will ensure that Caldwell's vision for the Riverway remains. Ford said Waco has also created an overlay district for ongoing development at the former Floyd Casey Stadium site.
In addition to home design, the overlay district would set street design standards, Ford said.
The council is also scheduled to vote to approve $130 million in TIF 4 funding for the Riverway, which will be used on infrastructure needed for the development, such as street construction, water and wastewater lines and public parks and trails .
Caldwell would bear the initial cost of construction and then be paid once construction is complete, starting with $233,000 in 2026 and increasing by a few hundred thousand dollars each year.
Final payments around the year 2050 are estimated at about $8.6 billion.
water
The agenda includes an item for the possible adoption of the drought contingency plan update. While adoption of the plan has been on council agendas several times since March, it has been tabled and not voted on each time as council members have asked for more time to consider the proposal and see evidence that the plan would work.
WATCH NOW: Assistant City Manager Paul Cain proposes a different schedule for Waco water customers in a presentation at the April 2, 2024, Waco City Council meeting.
The proposed plan would restrict watering to three days a week regardless of current drought conditions, which city officials said is a strategy in place in many Texas cities. Big cities like Dallas and Houston, and cities similar in size to Waco like Lubbock, Wichita Falls and Round Rock have already implemented similar year-round restrictions.
Under the current proposal, hand washing would not be restricted. Variations for new plantations, golf courses and sports fields would also be available.
A new water resources plan also includes strategies to diversify Waco's water supply to avoid over-reliance on Waco Lake and secure Waco's water for the next 100 years. Waco officials said they would like to secure more water rights for Brazos River water and would seek more uses for reclaimed wastewater.
WATCH NOW: Discussion and presentation on the City of Waco's Integrated Water Resources Plan, including planning assumptions, water supply options and factors for evaluating future water supply, from the City Council meeting of Waco on March 19, 2024.
Councilman and mayor-elect Jim Holmes said Monday he supports the ordinance and said the council wants to be proactive about water shortages rather than reactive. He also said meetings between council members and city staff have resulted in several amendments to the plan, including a July enactment date for irrigation restrictions and pushing back the deadline for sports fields to submit an irrigation plan
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The council is also scheduled to vote Tuesday on a resolution approving an agreement with Mission Waco to apply for a $20 million EPA grant. Ford said Mission Waco is the lead applicant and one of several sub-recipients of the grant, which will be split among several organizations. Mission Waco would be responsible for the overall management and oversight of the grant.
Ford said the city of Waco would receive $6.7 million that will be used for flood mitigation programs, lead abatement programs and a public service announcement program that encourages healthy eating . In addition to Mission Waco, other subrecipients of the grant include Baylor University, the Faith Family Worship Center, the World Hunger Relief Institute and the National Association of Women in Agriculture.
Waco Chief of Staff Ashley Nystrom said the remainder of the grant will be used to support the work of the Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Communities Project Collective in food waste diversion, composting and gardening Funding will also be used to support solar power at Mission Waco's Tiny House Village, the Meyer Center Homeless Shelter and the Family of Faith Worship Center Food Bank.
The council is also scheduled to approve the purchase of a Berla iVe software toolkit for use by the Waco Police Department and the McLennan County District Attorney's Office. Waco Police Chief Sheryl Victorian said the software can be used to extract and analyze data from vehicles.
Victorian said the software could be used to extract location or speed data from vehicles used in crimes and could be useful for investigators working a hit-and-run case or analyzing data from a car recovered from the scene of a homicide.
The council will also consider a reallocation of American Rescue Act funding to be used in construction to convert the former Bledsoe-Miller Community Center into the STEM and Cultural Arts Center, which would facilitate programming in science, technology, engineering, math and arts for the people. of all ages. Ford said the center needs both interior and exterior work, including renovations to the neighboring park, the parking lot and the building itself.
If approved, the appropriation would be increased by $3.51 million, to a total of $9.76 million for the project.
WATCH NOW: Public meeting for the reimagined Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center in East Waco
