City Council approval is recommended for an ordinance appropriating funds and authorizing the City of Houston (the “City”) to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Gateway South PSA”) with The Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) where the City will acquire 0.7058 acres of land from BBP. This land transaction is part of the Downtown Gateway Trail South Bank (the “Gateway South 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 North Bank (the “Gateway North PSA”) in a separate action in parallel with this recommendation to approve the Gateway South 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 $150,000 obligation now part of the Gateway South PSA as bring from the City Park Sector Funds (Sector 11).
Park Project Summary:
Guadalupe Plaza Park, situated along the south bank of Buffalo Bayou, has an existing trail that does not conform to the new Tri-Party Agreement standards. This trail will be partially replaced to meet the new trail standards and additional work will be done by BBP to enhance the existing 4.1-acre park. To accomplish this, BBP acquired 0.7058 acres from Union Pacific Railroad south of the existing City park. This parcel will be transferred from BBP to the City under the Gateway South PSA. The Gateway South Project design also creates a connection from the new bayou trail to a planned on-street high-comfort bike lane on Jensen Drive. This will ultimately establish a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the north and south bank trails along Buffalo Bayou at Jensen Drive.
Once the construction is complete for the Gateway South Project, the City-owned property and improvements will be maintained and operated by BBP in accordance with Tri-Party Agreement.
Fiscal Note:
No significant Fiscal Operating impact is anticipated as a result of this project.
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Capital Project Information
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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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Parks & Recreation Dedication Fund
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$150,000
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-
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$150,000
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Total
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$150,000
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-
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$150,000
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___________________________________ ____________________________________________
Andy F. Icken, Chief Development Officer Kenneth Allen, Director, Houston Parks and Recreation