Waller County approves $19.7 million purchase agreement with Houston for 1,400 acres aimed at regional detention and park space
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Summary
The Commissioners Court approved moving forward on a purchase agreement to buy 1,400 acres from the City of Houston for $19,700,000, with staff saying the county will seek reimbursement from the Texas Water Development Board under Senate Bill 1 and will use an allocated $25 million state award to finance closing and initial design work.
WALLER COUNTY, Texas — The Commissioners Court voted to approve a purchase agreement with the City of Houston to acquire roughly 1,400 acres on the south end of Waller County for regional detention mitigation and potential park amenities.
Robert (speaker 9) described the purchase price as $19,700,000 and told the court the county has an allocation of $25,000,000 from the state (identified in the meeting as an SB1 allocation) to support acquisition and initial design. “The purchase price is $19,700,000,” he said on the record, and staff said the plan is to close late January or early February after the county finalizes a contract with the Texas Water Development Board to secure reimbursement.
County officials said the property would be used for regional detention to benefit multiple watersheds including Brookshire Creek, Willow Fork and Snake Creek, and could later include park amenities such as trails and ballfields. Staff said roughly 600 acres may be under conservation easement (a point later questioned during discussion), but that the regional-detention need drove the request for state funding.
Commissioners thanked county staff and state elected officials for helping secure the allocation; the court approved the purchase and will forward the agreement to the City of Houston for consideration at council in December. Closing is contingent on final contracts and reimbursement arrangements with the Texas Water Development Board.
No final construction plan or timeline beyond initial design funding was adopted at the meeting.
