County staff outlines procedure to apply state "abandoned lots" law to platted tracts east of Horizon
Loading...
Summary
Planning staff presented a proposed county policy to implement HB 1564, a state law allowing county courts to declare long-abandoned platted lots abandoned and place them in receivership so they can be consolidated and developed; staff proposed an applicant-driven five-step process and said HCIA has compiled data to pilot the program.
Planning and development staff presented a proposed policy to implement Texas House Bill 1564, which allows county commissioners courts to determine that platted lots that have been abandoned for more than 25 years may be placed into receivership and returned to productive use.
George Reyes, associate planner, explained the five-step applicant-driven process: (1) an initial meeting with county staff to review eligibility and data needs; (2) formal submission with required evidence (the applicant must provide proof the lot had an assessed value under $1,000 as of Jan. 1, 2021; proof it was not valued for agricultural use as of that date; and proof of unpaid ad valorem taxes for invoiced years); (3) a staff audit and eligibility determination; (4) a presentation to commissioners court and, if approved, a public hearing scheduled 1–2 months later to allow for notice to owners and lienholders; and (5) post-hearing notice and the statutory 60-day appeal period followed by a receivership civil action if unappealed.
Reyes noted the county area east of Horizon contains hundreds of subdivisions and tens of thousands of lots with fractionalized out-of-state ownership that complicates private development. He said the nonprofit HCIA has been briefed, has data and is prepared to provide updated parcel lists for a pilot application. Commissioners asked staff to continue coordination with HCIA and suggested prioritizing lots that are adjacent to existing infrastructure.
Next steps: staff will determine whether the finalized policy and a pilot area will be ready for a future court agenda (staff suggested it could appear on the Jan. 26 agenda or later pending additional data).
