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The city of Denton will cover more than half the cost of new sewer lines for the Cole Ranch to accommodate future growth.
The decision comes after council's approval of a cost-sharing agreement between the city and the developments at a May 5 regular City Council meeting.
The details
The project will add 48-inch wastewater infrastructure to the Hickory Branch wastewater trunk main to expand capacity in anticipation of population growth, council documents state.
The sewer line will run from just southwest of Denton Enterprise Airport southeast across I-35W, council documents show. The line will replace the 17-inch line currently planned in the Cole Ranch operating agreement, Development Services Director Charlie Rosendahl said in a presentation.
The bigger wastewater line could dispel a future need to build another parallel water line that is projected to cost $17.7 million and save the effort of maintaining two wastewater lines.
"By oversizing this line, the [wastewater master plan] contemplated a parallel line in the future," Rosendahl said. "Oversizing this line at 48 inches delays or possibly eliminates that parallel line for the city to construct in the future."
The agreement is similar to the contract City Council entered with the Landmark development to in January, according to council documents.
The project's cost will total about $14.6 million and be split between the city, Cole Ranch's and Landmark's municipal management districts. The costs are split proportionately to which party will contribute to the wastewater flow, Rosendahl said.
Denton residents will contribute about 59% of the flow, the Cole Ranch district will contribute just under 40% of the flow, and Landmark will put in just over 1% of the flow.
Council documents show Cole Ranch, south of the airport and east of I-35W, will develop 5,900 single-family homes and 3,200 multifamily units across nearly 3,200 acres.
With the Landmark agreement, Denton officials agreed to cover about 45% of $28.9 million in wastewater projects at Landmark, coming out to about $13 million.
Landmark's share came out to 39.8%, nearly $11.53 million, and Cole Ranch contributed 15.5%, more than $4.48 million. The cost share is also based on contributions to wastewater flow.
