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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7232 ^ INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7232 D.1 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 1 1987 Subject: TRINITY RIVER CORRIDOR: IN PURSUIT OF A COMMON VISION BACKGROUND In recent years, rapid population growth and urbanization of rural areas have resulted in substantial increases in land values. One effect which has been seen is an increased interest in development of land areas within the floodplain of the Trinity River and its tributaries. The demand for land has made it economically feasible to reclaim flood prone lands where the costs associated with it have been prohibitive in the past. Because the cumulative impacts of this type of development were not known and because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the adjacent Cities having jurisdiction over the Trinity River share the responsibility for the welfare of the general public, it became apparent that a study such as the Regional Environmental Impact Statement was needed. On April 17, 1984, the North Central Texas Council of Governments requested that the Corps of Engineers meet with them to "examine existing and potential uses of the Trinity River from Fort Worth to Dallas." On October 25, 1984, the Executive Board of the NCTCOG passed a resolution authorizing NCTCOG to serve as a "convenor of the affected local govern- OW ments and other parties regarding potential uses of the Trinity River corridor" and directing NCTCOG to "organize and initiate a cooperative effort among affected local governments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, appropriate Federal and state agencies, and private interests and organiza- tions in this regard." On December 4, 1984, the District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a decision paper authorizing preparation of a Regional Environmental Impact Statement to "address the cumulative impacts of development within the flood plans of the West Fort and Elm Fork of the Trinity River in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex." Subsequent to this decision by the Corps, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were invited and agreed to be Cooperating Agencies in the study effort. On April 30, 1986 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the Draft Regional Environmental Impact Statement for a forty-five day review period. The draft Environmental Impact Statement addressed the cumulative impacts of five alternative future development scenarios. Public comments were solicited from local governments, state and other Federal agencies and the general public. On June 17, 1986 (M&C G-6706) , the City Council authorized the Mayor to send an official City of Fort Worth response to the Draft Regional Environmental Impact Statement of the Trinity River and Tributaries to the Army Corps of Engineers. That response addressed the City's specific concerns with regard to the R.E.I.S. and expressed the City of Fort Worth' s desire to support the pursuit of a "Common Vision" of those communities and agencies which share jurisdiction along the Trinity River Corridor. —ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7232 D.2 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 1 , 1987 X Subject: TRINITY RIVER CORRIDOR: IN PURSUIT OF A COMMON VISION 1075 The "Position Paper in Pursuit of a Common Vision for the Trinity River Corridor" (ATTACHMENT) was adopted by the NCTCOG Executive Board on June 26, 1986. On September 2, 1986, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a Letter of Agreement with the NCTCOG to implement the Trinity River Corridor Interjurisdictional Management Program. (TRCIMP) . Councilman Bert Williams was appointed as the City Council representative to the Steering Committee for the TRCIMP and Mr. Gary L. Santerre, Director of Transportation and Public Works as a member of the Staff Task Force for the TRCIMP. The City Council also endorsed the "Position Paper" as adopted by the NCTCOG Executive Board. Since October of 1986 these representatives have met with the other affected jurisdictions on a regular basis to forge a "common vision" for the Trinity River. On October 22 1987 the Final Regional Environmental Impact Statement for the Trinity River and Tributaries was released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The five alternative development scenarios contained in the draft REIS were reevaluated based on the comments of local governments, the general public and other Federal agencies. The Final REIS identifies four new scenarios which were examined in response to the public comment from the Draft REIS. The staff Task Force and the Steering Committee have been evaluating the impacts associated with each of these new alternative scenarios. As a result of that continuing evaluation it appears that the Revised Baseline - Future Discharges will provide the foundation for a common permit criteria. The Revised Baseline - Future Discharges scenario assumes that the river valley will be shaped in the same configuration as it would with all permitted development activities up to September, 1986 constructed. In addition, the watershed contributing to the Trinity River was assumed to be fully developed using typical land uses provided by the Cities. A predicted water surface elevation was established through the River valley using computer modeling. An examination of those predicted water surface elevations revealed that City projects located along the river have lost some degree of designed protection. The increase in flood levels has been attributed primarily to the loss of valley storage with other less significant factors also contributing to the flood level rise. The Revised Baseline - Future Discharges scenario will allow the Dallas Floodway to keep its designed freeboard of four feet provided that they go through with their plan to extend the main channel through their City. The remaining Cities also appear to be leaning toward the Revised Baseline - Future Discharges scenario as a foundation for a common permitting criteria. 4-ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No., 7232 p.3 I �afcaer, December 1 , 1987 00W_ To the Mayor and Members of the City Council X Subject: TRINITY RIVER CORRIDOR: IN PURSUIT OF A COMMON VISION The Staff Task Force and Steering Committee have been leaning toward a criteria which will allow development to occur provided that permitted projects will not cause an increase in flood elevations on upstream or downstream properties in addition, specified allowances in the improvements of water quality, reduction of valley storage, control of water velocity and environmental considerations will likely be addressed under this criteria. It appears that although the staff generally supports the direction we are headed, there are other costs and factors which the Council must consider. The policy direction in which we are headed will have a significant impact on the amount of development acreage within the floodplain. Under the new policy a reclamation plan such as the Riverbend development would have had significant changes before it could have been approved. The majority of the City of Fort Worth's floodplain is under private owner- ship; therefore, land value is impacted and the City can expect a great deal of dissatisfaction from property owners if such a policy is eventually adopted. The City's tax base from development will be impacted although the REIS seems to indicate that the costs of providing services to floodplain areas exceed the revenues generated by their development. Development under the Revised Baseline - Future Discharges based criteria is, however, possible. During the last year, since the City adopted the Corps of Engineers interim criteria, Brookhollow - TXI submitted a develop- ment plan which would apparently meet the criteria under the direction we are heading. Staff will review the Brookhollow - TXI project with Council at our workshop session. Staff is generally in favor of adopting a baseline condition with a criteria which will allow a property owner to develop their property in a manner which will not cause harm to a neighbors property. The next two months are critical in determining the position the City will take in the "Common Vision" along the Trinity River corridor. Staff looks to the City Council to provide direction so that we can convey your wishes as we look to establish these very important policies. Staff recommends that Council direct that a public hearing be convened to receive public comments. This public hearing should take place by the second week of January, 1988 so that the staff may have adequate time to respond to the Corps of Engineers by the close of their public comment period on January 31, 1988. OOW AuglaM Harman City c1t. City Manager DAI:dh '-ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS