Kyle council approves purchase of Silverado parcel for Vibe Trail despite neighbors' floodplain concerns

KYLE, Texas — The Kyle City Council on Feb. 4 voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to execute documents to buy roughly 7.3 acres adjacent to 110 Western Cove for up to $100,000 to complete a Spring Branch segment of the Vibe Trail.

The purchase, which council approved 7-0, follows years of design work on the Vibe Trail and a 2020 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department trails grant the city used toward the project. Several homeowners who live beside the proposed trail urged the council during the meeting’s citizen comment period to pause the acquisition and reconsider routing the trail through areas the speakers said are drainage easements and within the FEMA 100-year floodplain.

Neighbors told the council the stretch — which staff described as the Spring Branch connector for the Vibe Trail — floods after heavy storms, carries fast runoff and sits behind several back yards. “Just because you can build a trail on this property does not mean you should,” resident Moses Leos told the council during public comments. “When the high water arrives, and it will in our area, I cannot for the life of me think that our city could be putting anyone in danger.”

Terrell Hensley said his household and neighbors have rescued people from that drainage area during storms and questioned who would be liable if a visitor were injured. “Why should I pay for something that I didn’t vote on, that I didn’t want?” Hensley said.

Raquel Salinas, another Silverado homeowner, said the parcel is within FEMA’s special flood hazard area and the proposed 12-foot concrete trail “will only worsen the situation and increase the chances of our homes becoming flooded.” Salinas also urged the council to consider the area’s wildlife and said the community had expected deed restrictions that formerly limited development on that land.

City staff and council members responded by describing the parcel and how it fits into the trail plan. David Lopez, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the site totals about 7.3 acres, with roughly half inside the mapped floodplain. Lopez told the council the Vibe Trail design team had completed roughly 90% of the overall trail design and reminded council that the project previously received a TPWD trails grant for construction hard costs. He said the trail design accommodates drainage patterns and that the design team expects no adverse impact and possible slight improvement to local drainage patterns if constructed and maintained according to engineering plans.

Lopez also said the city would mark or close the trail if it became unsafe due to high water: “We would mark it if the trail is unsafe or if there’s water over it? Mark or close, yes ma’am.”

Council member Laura Lee Harris, who moved approval of the purchase resolution, said she had spent time at the site and shared many of the residents’ concerns about the ephemeral creek and siltation during storms. Harris said she did not object to the city acquiring the property but asked staff to bring additional engineering and suggested a survey and further design analysis as the project moves to 100% plans. “I would really like to have some additional engineering done so that the residents can be as assured as possible that we are improving the flood issues rather than making them worse,” Harris said during the meeting.

Council discussion also noted that the parcel’s acquisition would slightly expand the city’s “10-minute walk” park-access metric; staff said acquiring the property increases the city’s walkable coverage from about 73.2% to 75.4% under Trust for Public Land methodology.

The vote: Council Member Laura Lee Harris moved approval. The motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Heizer. The roll call recorded seven yes votes (Mitchell, Heizer, Rizzo, Zuniga, Harris, McKinney, Tobias) and no negative votes; the motion carried 7 to 0.

What happens next: Staff said they will continue engineering and drainage analysis as design proceeds to final plans and will return to council with more-detailed 100% plans if additional analysis is required. Lopez reminded the council that construction plans will include standard measures to clear silt and mark or close trail segments when water crosses the pathway.

Why it matters: The Vibe Trail is a citywide connectivity project intended to link neighborhoods and schools; the Spring Branch connector is one of the trail’s more contentious segments because it intersects drainage easements and private back yards. Neighbors said they worry about flood risk, wildlife impacts and increased informal vehicle and foot traffic; the council majority approved acquisition while directing staff to pursue additional engineering reviews and to report back to council as design continues.

Public records and references: Council approved a purchase not to exceed $100,000; staff recapped that the overall Vibe Trail design was funded in part by a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department trails grant for $200,000 and that earlier design work reached advanced stages in 2021–2023. The property’s deed restrictions were discussed in public comments; staff said the original developer (Centex Homes) has removed deed restrictions as part of making the land available for sale. Specific mitigation measures and precise final trail alignment will be determined in the 100% design phase and additional engineering reports.