Council approves sewer easement with VCTC to allow Williams Homes to build a railroad undercrossing for North Fillmore development

The Fillmore City Council on Aug. 12 authorized the city manager to execute and record a sewer easement and agreement with the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) that permits Williams Homes to construct a public sewer main underneath the railroad right of way north of Old Telegraph Road. The easement will create a new sewer undercrossing to serve the North Fillmore specific‑plan area (sometimes referenced as the Creekside development) and relieve capacity on the existing B Street railroad undercrossing.

Staff background: City engineers explained that most of North Fillmore currently drains to a single rail undercrossing at B Street; that crossing is taxed and has limited remaining capacity. Williams Homes proposes to close an existing manhole that feeds the B Street crossing, install a new sewer main under the rail line north of Old Telegraph and tie the new line into a larger downstream trunk that has been upsized in recent years. The new undercrossing will give the North Fillmore plan area an additional outlet and help make the development buildable without overloading B Street.

Agreement terms and purpose: The easement grants the city the right to own, operate and maintain the sewer main under the VCTC rail right‑of‑way. Williams Homes will construct the undercrossing to public standards and dedicate the new main to the city for operation. Staff said the easement is needed to formalize the city’s right to the sewer alignment under the rail and to allow construction to proceed.

Council action: The council voted to authorize the city manager or designee to execute and record the VCTC sewer easement and agreement. Staff said the work is part of the development’s entitlement and that once constructed and accepted, the new sewer main will reduce pressure on the B Street crossing and provide additional capacity for North Fillmore.

Ending: Staff noted that the construction will tie into an existing manhole near Scheels Park and will ultimately connect to the larger downstream trunk to the wastewater plant. No additional city funding was requested at the Aug. 12 meeting; the installation is tied to the developer’s construction obligations.