The Houston Public Works Department and Mayor’s Office of Recovery is seeking City Council approval of a Resolution confirming the City’s intent to enter into a purchase and sale agreement with the City of West University Place, Texas to purchase a tract of land owned by the City of West University Place. 

Specific Explanation: 

The City desires to acquire the Ruffino Tract from West University for a future flood reduction project (the “Project”). West University Place, Texas (“West University”) is the owner of a tract of land containing approximately 70.87 acres of land, more or less, located in Harris County, Texas along the south bank of Keegan’s Bayou east of the I-69/Sam Houston Tollway interchange, as otherwise known (the “Ruffino Tract”).

The City, in cooperation with West University, has completed field visits, soil testing, and detention analysis to determine the feasibility of the Project on the Ruffino Tract. The Ruffino Tract is the former West University municipal landfill site so the City has completed and is ready to submit a Type IX Landfill Mining Registration Application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for permission to excavate and relocate landfill material.

The Parties agree that the Project will bring much needed detention to the area and, therefore, agree to work expeditiously to enter into a purchase and sale agreement for the sale of the Ruffino Tract so that the City may purchase the property by December 31, 2022.

A request to appropriate funds will accompany the future Council action to approve the Purchase and Sale Agreement. 

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Carol Ellinger Haddock, Director           Stephen Costello, Chief  

Houston Public Works                            Mayor’s Office of Recovery Officer