Dog park location picked, design moves forward

1. Jersey Village City Council unanimously voted to proceed with the design and construction of a two-acre dog park on a tract of land along Rio Grande Street and across White Oak Bayou from the Jersey Meadow Golf Course, near an existing detention pond. A total of $50,000 was included in the fiscal year 2016-17 budget for the golf course, which was identified as a priority project by residents while the city was working on a new comprehensive plan in 2015.

Harris County Flood Control District, which owns the land, will have to review design drawings and approve them before the city proceeds with construction. Read more about plans for the dog park here.

Council prepares for development at Jersey Crossing

2. Council unanimously voted to publish notice of a public hearing for the creation of a new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone at Jersey Crossing, a site where city officials hope to bring in high-end residential and retail development. A TIRZ allows the city to identify an area where development is planned and direct new tax revenue brought in from that area into a separate economic development fund over a set period of time. The district encompasses the portion of city limits south of Hwy. 290 near Jones Road. The public hearing is planned for July 17 at 6 p.m. at the Jersey Village Civic Center, 16327 Lakeview Drive, Jersey Village.

Council also approved several measures to incentivize economic development within the city, including property tax abatements and Chapter 380 economic development programs, which can include sales tax receipt reimbursements, property tax reimbursements and operations grants for hotels. Every agreement made between city staff and a business or developer would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, City Manager Austin Bleess said.

City delays facilities, landscaping/branding master plans

3. A resolution to enter a contract to develop a facilities master plan for $29,800 failed due to lack of motion. The plan would have looked at the current state of city facilities and conducted a needs assessment. Council member Greg Holden raised concerns about conducting a master plan for all city facilities when the needs at two priority buildings—city hall and a public works building on Taylor Road—are already known and would likely take years to renovate. Holden instead called for city staff to develop a plan specifically for the Taylor Road facility before the city moves on to study other facilities.

Council also voted to table a resolution to enter a contract for a landscaping/branding master plan, instead calling for a special session where council members will discuss the goals of the plan. A total of $55,000 was set aside in the FY 2016-17 budget for the plan, which is intended to preserve the city's identity, update the logo and highlight city character through methods such as enhancing the city's main entrances. The special session will take place after the July 17 city council meeting and before the July 17 city budget session.

Both master plans were included as priority projects in the city's 2015 comprehensive plan.

City moves forward on golf course marketing plan, clubhouse renovation study

4. Council unanimously voted to move forward with two plans related to the Jersey Meadow Golf Course. The city authorized a contract with BrightBox, a Houston-based marketing firm, to develop a golf course marketing plan for $13,750. The city also authorized a contract with Ray + Hollington Architects for a golf course clubhouse renovation feasibility study for $14,250. The feasibility study is being conducted with money transferred from the city's hotel occupancy tax fund and is expected to take four weeks.

Additional security cameras to be installed at Northwest Village Shopping Center at Hwy. 290/Jones Road

5. Council unanimously approved a budget amendment to give the city's Crime Control and Prevention District an additional $24,750 to install more security cameras at the Northwest Village Shopping Center. The cameras will be installed and monitored through a private/public partnership between the city and property owner, police chief Eric Foerster said. Foerster said the new high-resolution cameras will be placed between existing cameras to help cover the entire center and are aimed at crime prevention and apprehension.