Remember this?
In July, both cities agreed to a deal that would allow Bellaire to acquire the 13.15-acre Beechnut Tract near North Braeswood Boulevard and Loop 610 in exchange for the 76-acre Ruffino Tract near the Brays Oaks neighborhood in Houston.
Bellaire intends to use the Beechnut Tract, which was purchased for $6.46 million, to expand the Cypress Ditch to improve flood mitigation and drainage in the city, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Meanwhile, Houston is looking to turn the 76 acres into a flood detention zone to fight against future flooding.
As part of the land swap deal, Houston has also agreed to treat Bellaire's wastewater over the next 100 years.
"This is a win-win for both communities," City Manager Sharon Citino said. "We are going to be trading some land that will support both regional detention programs, and it's really going to be a great project."
Latest update
The approval in December was to authorize Bellaire's city manager to execute a Sanitary Sewer Service Agreement between Bellaire and Houston. According to the agenda item, the agreement is identical to the purchase and sale agreement that was approved in May. The Dec. 15 agreement was approved unanimously.
The agreement will still need to be approved by Houston City Council. Once that happens, Citino said that closing can occur as early as the end of January, but is more likely to take place in February. Once the sale is closed, she said the city can start moving dirt on the Cypress Ditch project.
Something to note
When Bellaire connect's to Houston's wastewater system, the city will be required to pay a one-time impact fee plus a monthly fee for treatment. The monthly fees are currently set at $1.90 per thousand gallons, per the agreement. The one-time impact fee will be calculated based on Houston's fiscal year 2024-25 fee schedule, minus a credit of $5.14 million.
Bellaire will continue to be the service provider for wastewater and maintain its own collection system.
