City Council approval is recommended for an ordinance authorizing the City of Houston (the “City”) to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Gateway North PSA”) with The Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) where the City will acquire 1.7985 acres of land from BBP. This land transaction is part of the Downtown Gateway Trail North Bank (the “Gateway North Project”), a Park Project identified under the Development, Construction, Operations, Maintenance, and Concession Agreement between the City, Harris County, and BBP (the “Tri-Party Agreement”) approved by Council on September 28, 2022 (Ordinance No. 2022-715).
Council will be asked to approve a separate purchase and sale agreement for the Downtown Gateway Trail South Bank (the “Gateway South PSA”) in a separate action in parallel with this recommendation to approve the Gateway North PSA.
Under the Tri-Party Agreement, the City and BBP agreed to the following key points related to the $10,434,000 Downtown Gateway Trails Park Project:
1. The City will acquire the north bank area of the Downtown Gateway from BBP for $925,000 (Gateway North PSA);
2. The City will acquire the south bank area of the Downtown Gateway from BBP for $150,000 (Gateway South PSA); and
3. BBP will fund the balance of $9,359,000 for design and construction of the capital improvements in accordance with the Tri-Party Agreement.
The Tri-Party Agreement identified the potential funding source for the City’s $925,000 obligation now part of the Gateway North PSA as being connected to the “Ojala JRC Transaction” that Council approved in May 2022 (Ordinance No. 2022-380). In that transaction, the City received $970,912 for the abandonment and sale of public rights-of-way in the immediate area adjacent to the Gateway North Project.
Park Project Summary:
Spanning the distance between Jensen Drive and the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, the roughly 980-foot-long Gateway North Project will replace the north bank trail that collapsed because of erosion from Hurricane Harvey. To provide a stabilized trail on such a steep site, the trail will include several additional elements beyond components included in the trail standards: 15-foot-wide concrete trails; concrete pole mounted light fixtures; benches and trash cans, wayfinding signage, and general landscaping. To protect the slope from future erosion, BBP will ensure bank stabilization will be implemented across the 1.8-acre site that may include a combination of engineered and nature-based solutions. The trail itself may be constructed as an elevated deck or be supported in place by a retaining wall or other structural element to prevent it from collapsing again in the future. Depending on the final trail condition, railings may be included to ensure public safety.
Once the construction is complete for the Gateway North Project, the City-owned property and improvements will be maintained and operated by BBP in accordance with Tri-Party Agreement.
Fiscal Note:
Funding for this item is not included in the FY2024 Adopted Budget. Therefore, a Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policies.
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Estimated Fiscal Operating Impact
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Recurring or One-Time:
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One-Time
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Fund Name
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FY2024
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Out Year
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Total
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General Fund – General Government
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$925,000
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-
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$925,000
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Total
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$925,000
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-
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$925,000
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Andy F. Icken, Chief Development Officer Kenneth Allen, Director, Houston Parks and Recreation