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Commission weighs sewage options for 123 East Frederick, approves temporary on‑site system with conditions
Summary
The commission reviewed options for sewer service at 123 East Frederick—extending a main (~1,280 ft, ~$200,000) or allowing an on‑site sewage facility (~$15,000). Staff recommended stipulations for an OSF; commissioners approved a conditional OSF with a time‑limit for connection and decommissioning requirements to protect public health.
City engineer Abigail Knott told the commission that 123 East Frederick (1.655 acres in central Boerne) has a nonconforming sewer service routed through an adjacent lot and that extending a sewer main along Old Number 9 would require about 1,280 feet of pipe at an estimated cost of roughly $200,000. As an alternative, staff presented permitting and use of on‑site sewage facilities (OSF) at an estimated cost of about $15,000.
Knott said either option would cancel the property's nonconforming connection to a neighbor's line, and she recommended stipulations if an OSF waiver were granted, including: (1) the property must connect to city sewer within five years of sewer availability, paying all costs and fees; (2) the OSF must be permitted through Kendall County and comply with city requirements; and (3) the property must be platted.
The applicant (who said she had tested the site and planned low‑use, day‑time businesses to be served by a conventional lateral system) and commissioners debated the length of the connection timeframe. Commissioners suggested alternatives (for example, a five‑year depreciation allowance followed by a one‑year mandatory connection window once the sewer extension is scheduled). Commissioner Verde moved to approve a conditional OSF allowance with a five‑year depreciation period and a one‑year requirement to connect once an Old Number 9 extension is available; commissioners additionally requested that any OSF be decommissioned and removed at the owner's expense once the city sewer is available. The motion passed and staff will document the specific stipulations in the written motion and in the recorded plat.
Next steps: Staff will finalize language of the stipulation (timeframe and decommissioning), and the applicant may proceed with required county OSF permitting and later hook up when city sewer is extended.
