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Balch Springs EDC OKs $44,441 Kimley‑Horn contract to secure I‑20 access for Alexander Village
Summary
The Balch Springs Type A EDC voted to contract Kimley‑Horn for engineering services not to exceed $44,441.25 to pursue a TxDOT driveway permit and right‑of‑way work needed for the Alexander Village mixed‑use development; board and staff clarified funding sources, possible donation of private right‑of‑way and next steps.
The Balch Springs Industrial and Economic Development Corporation (Type A) voted to enter a contract with engineering firm Kimley‑Horn for up to $44,441.25 to prepare right‑of‑way surveys, plans and a driveway access application to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) needed for the Alexander Village mixed‑use development.
Staff told the board the developer agreement for Alexander Village requires the city to facilitate access to I‑20; the contract with Kimley‑Horn will fund boundary verification, a topographic survey, a driveway‑permit application to TxDOT and related coordination so the Type A board can obtain the right‑of‑way needed for a collector road and I‑20 access. "They've gone through this permit process before and can compress a typical one‑year timeline to about three to six months," a staff member said.
The contract amount will be charged to the Alexander Village engineering fees account, staff said. Board members were told the EDC has a $50,000 set‑aside for Alexander Village engineering fees that has not yet been used; broader roadway construction and reimbursement costs for the collector road were described as part of a separate $900,000 allocation already budgeted for Alexander Road improvements.
Board members pressed staff on whether private property owners along the proposed alignment — identified in staff remarks as Canary Construction and a nearby church — would convey right‑of‑way or whether the EDC would need to acquire it. Staff said preliminary negotiations indicate property owners "are leaning toward an agreement or a donation," but added, "If not, then it'll be right‑of‑way acquisition" at market value. Staff also said developer infrastructure work will be reimbursable to the developer per the existing economic development (ED) agreement once conditions are met.
Several board members asked for follow‑up cost estimates for the construction portion of the collector road from Alexander Road to the I‑20 service road; staff said those estimates will be presented at a future meeting and that the developer is preparing cost estimates that may reduce the EDC's out‑of‑pocket construction costs because the developer will be mobilized on site. Staff also said the next procedural steps include filing the TxDOT driveway application and returning to the board with permit progress and the developer's road cost estimates.
The motion to enter into the contract with Kimley‑Horn, described in the meeting packet as "Kimberly Horne/Kimley Horn," passed unanimously. The board chair announced the item will be taken to city council at its first March meeting for partnership approval, and staff committed to provide updates at the next Type A EDC meeting.
Votes: The motion to enter into the contract passed 5–0 (David Ruffino: yes; Ivan Guell: yes; Rodney Taylor: yes; Gwendolyn Gardner: yes; Brandon Jackson: yes).
Context: Alexander Village is a planned $50 million mixed‑use project on a roughly 14‑acre parcel owned by the Type A board; the collector road and TxDOT access are a condition of the ED agreement and key to development ingress/egress. The contract covers engineering steps to obtain TxDOT approval and to determine how much right‑of‑way will be needed and whether it will be donated or acquired.
